FaunaHub

Bustard (family Otididae)

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Kori bustard (Ardeotis kori), a large, heavy ground bird walking on a savanna.

Kori bustard (Ardeotis kori), male.

Image: Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Overview

Bustards (family Otididae) are large, long-legged, stately ground birds of open country in the Old World — Africa, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Built for walking rather than perching, they stride across grasslands, steppe, and semi-desert on sturdy legs, with cryptic brown, grey, and white plumage that blends into the landscape. The biggest species, such as the kori bustard (Ardeotis kori, shown here) and the great bustard, are among the heaviest flying birds in the world.

Despite their bulk, bustards can fly strongly, but they spend most of their time on the ground. They are best known for the extravagant courtship displays of the males, which transform their appearance to win mates.

Note: “bustard” covers a family of species; details here use the kori bustard as a reference. Treat general statements as approximate and verify against authoritative sources.

Habitat & Range

Bustards live in open habitats across Africa, southern Europe, Asia, and Australia — grasslands, savanna, steppe, farmland, and semi-desert. They favour wide, flat or gently rolling country with low vegetation and good visibility, where their camouflage and wariness help them avoid predators. Many are tied to natural grassland and have declined as those habitats are converted to intensive farming.

Diet

Bustards are omnivores, eating a broad mix of plant material — seeds, leaves, shoots, flowers, and fruit — together with insects (such as locusts and beetles) and other small animals like lizards and rodents. They forage by walking steadily across open ground, picking up food as they go, and large bustards can take sizeable insect and small-vertebrate prey.

Behavior

Bustards are ground-dwellers that walk and run rather than perch, taking to the air with powerful, deliberate wingbeats when needed. They are generally wary and well camouflaged. Their most famous behaviour is male courtship display: in the breeding season, males of many species inflate throat or neck pouches, raise and fan their feathers, and contort into puffed-up, often startlingly white shapes to attract females, sometimes gathering to display at communal sites. Females typically nest on the ground and raise the young alone. The largest bustards are heavy enough to be near the upper weight limit for flying birds.

Human Interaction & Conservation

Many bustards are of conservation concern: as birds of open grassland and steppe, they have been hit hard by habitat loss to agriculture, hunting, collisions with power lines and fences, and disturbance, and several species — including the great bustard and various others — are threatened. Protecting grasslands and reducing hazards are central to their conservation, and some species are the focus of major recovery efforts. Consult the IUCN Red List for species-specific status.

More photos of the bustard

A kori bustard striding across open grassland.

Kori bustard (Ardeotis kori), Kenya.

Image: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Frequently Asked Questions — Bustard

Are bustards really among the heaviest flying birds?
Yes. The largest bustards — such as the kori bustard and the great bustard — are among the heaviest birds still capable of flight, with big males reaching weights near the practical upper limit for flying birds. Despite this bulk they can fly strongly, though they spend most of their time walking on the ground.
How do male bustards attract mates?
With dramatic courtship displays. In the breeding season, male bustards inflate throat or neck pouches, raise and fan their plumage, and transform into puffed-up, often strikingly white shapes to impress females; in some species males gather at communal display grounds. It's one of the most spectacular transformations in the bird world.
Where do bustards live, and why are many threatened?
Bustards inhabit open country — grasslands, steppe, savanna, farmland, and semi-desert — across Africa, southern Europe, Asia, and Australia. Many are threatened because these open habitats have been widely converted to intensive agriculture, and the birds also suffer from hunting, disturbance, and collisions with power lines and fences. Several species are now a serious conservation focus.
What do bustards eat?
They're omnivores with a varied diet: seeds, leaves, shoots, flowers, and fruit, plus insects like locusts and beetles and small animals such as lizards and rodents. Bustards forage by walking steadily across open ground and picking up whatever food they encounter, and the big species can handle sizeable prey.

Sources and further reading

Authoritative wildlife references used for general educational context. Conservation status should always be verified against current IUCN Red List data. External links open in a new tab.