Houbara bustard
Houbara bustard | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Otidiformes |
Family: | Otididae |
Genus: | Chlamydotis |
Species: | C. undulata
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Binomial name | |
Chlamydotis undulata (Jacquin, 1784)
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Range of Ch. undulata Resident
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The houbara bustard (Chlamydotis undulata), also known as African houbara (houbara from
It is dull brown with black markings on the wings, a greyish neck and a black ruff along the side of the neck. Males are larger and heavier than females.
Description
The houbara bustard is a small to mid-sized bustard. It measures 55–75 cm (22–30 in) in length and spans 135–170 cm (53–67 in) across the wings. It is brown above and white below, with a black stripe down the sides of its neck. In flight, the long wings show large areas of black and brown on the flight feathers. The sexes are similar, but the female, between 55–65 cm (22–26 in) tall, is rather smaller and greyer above than the male, at 65–75 cm (26–30 in) tall.[3][4][verification needed] The body mass is 1.8–3.2 kg (4.0–7.1 lb) in males and 1.2–1.7 kg (2.6–3.7 lb) in females.[5][4][verification needed]
Taxonomy
Psophia undulata was the
MacQueen's bustard was long regarded a subspecies of the African houbara.[10] It was proposed as a distinct species in 2003 because of differences in plumage, vocalizations and courtship behaviour.[11] The
Phylogeny
Results of analysis of
Distribution and habitat
The houbara bustard is found in North Africa west of the Nile, mainly in the western part of the Sahara desert region in Mauritania, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Pakistan and Egypt. Some old records exist from Sudan as well. A small population is found in the Canary Islands. The Asian houbara or MacQueen's bustard which was earlier included in this species occurs east of the Sinai Peninsula. The North African species is sedentary unlike the migratory northern populations of MacQueen's bustards.
The subspecies fuertaventurae of the Canary Islands is highly restricted and endangered. A 1997 survey found a total population of about 500 birds.[15]
Behaviour and ecology
The Houbara bustard has a flamboyant display raising the white feathers of the head and neck and withdrawing the head. Females lay two to four eggs on the ground.[16] It rarely vocalizes, but males make 3-5 low booming notes during breeding displays.[4]
It is omnivorous, eating
Threats
In North Africa, the houbara bustard is hunted by falconers and by hunters with guns. The populations declined in the two decades before 2004, but have been increasing since.[1]
Conservation
The International Fund for Houbara Conservation developed and implemented a global conservation strategy over the past forty years with the objective of ensuring a sustainable future in the wild through conservation programmes and management plans. This strategy consists of an integrated approach combining ecology, protection measures in the wild, conservation breeding, and reinforcement programmes.[18]
References
- ^ . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ^ BirdLife International (2015). "Chlamydotis undulata Europe". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2015: e.T22728245A90341807.
- ISBN 978-0-19-563731-1.
- ^ a b c Svensson, L.; Mullarney, K.; Zetterstrom, D. (2009). Collins Bird Guide (Second ed.). London, UK: HarperCollins.
- ISBN 978-0-8493-4258-5.
- ^ Jacquin, J. F. (1784). "Psophia undulata". Beyträge zur Geschichte der Vögel. Wien: C. F. Wappler. p. 24.
- ^ Gray, J. E. (1830–1832). "MacQueen's bustard Otis macqueenii. Gray". Illustrations of Indian Zoology; Chiefly Selected from the Collection of Major-General Hardwicke, F.R.S. Volume 2. London: Treuttel, Würtz, Treuttel, Jun. and Richter. p. Plate 47.
- ^ Lesson, R. (1839). "Oisseaux inédits". Revue Zoologique par la Société Cuvierienne. II (2): 43−47.
- ^ Rothschild, W. & Hartert, E. (1894). "On a new Bustard from the Palearctic Region". Novitates Zoologicae. 1 (5): 689.
- ^ Ali, S. & Ripley, S. D. (1983). "Chlamydotis undulata". A Pictorial Guide to the Birds of the Indian Subcontinent. Bombay: Bombay Natural History Society. p. 106, Plate 37.
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: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - S2CID 82531549.
- ^ Cowan, P. J. (2004). "Are there really two species of houbara?". British Birds. 97 (7): 346–347.
- ^ Collinson, M. (2004). "Are there really two species of houbara? A response from the TSC". British Birds. 97 (7): 348.
- S2CID 25591653.
- ^ Aurelio Martin; Juan Antonio Lorenzo; Miguel Angel Hernandez; Manuel Nogales; Félix Manuel Medina; Juan Domingo Delgado; José Julián Naranjo; Vicente Quilis; Guillermo Delgado (1997). "Distribution, status and conservation of the houbara bustard Chlamydotis undulata fuertaventurae Rothschild & Hartert, 1894, in the Canary Islands, November–December 1994" (PDF). Ardeola. 44 (1): 61–69.
- ^ Gaucher, P. (1995). "Breeding biology of the Houbara Bustard Chlamydotis undulate undulata in Algeria". Alauda. 64 (4): 291–298.
- ^ Bourass, K.; Leger, J.-F.; Zaime, A.; Qninba, A.; Rguibi, H.; El Agbani, M. A.; Benhoussa, A.; Hingrat, Y. (2012). "Observations on the diet of the North African houbara bustard during the non-breeding season". Journal of Arid Environments. 82: 53–59.
- ^ "Fifty Houbara birds released into the UAE desert - in pictures". The National. 2019. Retrieved 2019-02-28.
Further reading
- Stone, R. (2008). "The Houbara: Headed for Oblivion?" (PDF). Science. 321 (5895): 1441. S2CID 26931495.
- Hingrat, Y., Saint Jalme, M., Ysnel, F., Le Nuz, E. and Lacroix, F. (2007). "Habitat use and mating system of the houbara bustard (Chlamydotis undulata undulata) in a semi-desertic area of North Africa: implications for conservation". Journal of Ornithology. 148 (1): 39−52. S2CID 9173206.)
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: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - Release of Houbara back to nature