| Great Indian bustard | |
|---|---|
 | |
| AtDesert National Park | |
| Breeding call recorded inGreat Indian Bustard Sanctuary | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Otidiformes |
| Family: | Otididae |
| Genus: | Ardeotis |
| Species: | A. nigriceps |
| Binomial name | |
| Ardeotis nigriceps (Vigors, 1831) | |
 | |
| Points where the species has been recorded. Once widespread, the species is today found mainly in central and western India. | |
| Synonyms | |
Choriotis nigriceps,Eupodotis edwardsi,Otis nigriceps | |
Thegreat Indian bustard (Ardeotis nigriceps) orIndian bustard is abustard occurring on theIndian subcontinent. It is a large bird with a horizontal body, long bare legs and is among the heaviest of the flying birds. Once common on the dry grasslands and shrubland in India, as few as 150 individuals were estimated to survive as of 2018, reduced from an estimated 250 individuals in 2011. It is critically endangered due to hunting andhabitat loss. It is protected under the IndianWild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
The great Indian bustard is a large ground bird with a height of about one metre. It is unmistakable with its black cap contrasting with the pale head and neck. The body is brownish with a black patch spotted in white. The male is deep sandy buff coloured and during the breeding season has a black breast band. The crown of the head is black and crested and is puffed up by displaying males. In the female which is smaller than the male, the head and neck are not pure white and the breast band is either rudimentary, broken or absent.[2]
| Measurements | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| All populations[2][3] | |||
| Length | ♂ | 1,000–1,070 mm (39.4–42.1 in) | |
| ♀ | 760–830 mm (29.9–32.7 in) | ||
| Culmen | 85–95 mm (3.3–3.7 in) | ||
| Wing | ♂ | 614–762 mm (24.2–30.0 in) | |
| ♀ | 460–540 mm (18.1–21.3 in) | ||
| Tail | ♂ | 330–380 mm (13.0–15.0 in) | |
| ♀ | 245–270 mm (9.6–10.6 in) | ||
| Head | ♂ | 170–180 mm (6.7–7.1 in) | |
| ♀ | 145–155 mm (5.7–6.1 in) | ||
| Weight | ♂ | 8–14.5 kg (17.6–32.0 lb) | |
| ♀ | 2.5–6.75 kg (5.5–14.9 lb) | ||
| Foot | ♂ | 275–300 mm (10.8–11.8 in) | |
| ♀ | 225–245 mm (8.9–9.6 in) | ||
Among bustards, this species is smaller only than theKori bustard and thegreat bustard in size. It is also the largest land bird in its native range. The great Indian bustard stands at about 1 m (3 ft 3 in) tall, having a somewhat long neck and quite long legs.[3] The female as in most members of the bustard family are typically considerably smaller.[4]
Males have a well-developedgular pouch which is inflated when calling during display and helps produce the deep resonant calls.[3][5]
Abnormallyleucistic or near albino birds have been reported.[6]
The great Indian bustard was formerly widespread in India and Pakistan.[4] In India, it historically occurred in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Today the bustard is restricted to isolated pockets in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan (shared with Pakistan).[7]
Today, the great Indian bustard occurs inRajasthan,Karnataka,Maharashtra,Madhya Pradesh andGujarat states of India.Desert National Park, nearJaisalmer and coastal grasslands of theAbdasa and Mandvi talukas ofKutch District of Gujarat support some populations.[8]Ghatigaon andKarera sanctuaries in Madhya Pradesh once held sizeable populations.[9] Other sanctuaries with the species includeKutch Bustard Sanctuary ofNaliya in Kutch,[7]Karera Wildlife Sanctuary inShivpuri district;Great Indian Bustard Sanctuary nearNannaj,[10]It was also sighted nearSolapur inMaharashtra,Shrigonda taluka inAhmednagar district, near Nagpur and near Warora in Chandrapur district in Maharashtra andRollapadu Wildlife Sanctuary, and nearKurnool inAndhra Pradesh.[11] A few birds were detected in a September 2013 survey of theCholistan Desert in Pakistan.[12]
The great Indian bustard lives in arid, semi-arid grasslands, open country with thorn scrub, and tall grass interspersed with cultivation. It avoids irrigated areas.[2] The major areas where it is known to breed are in central and western India and eastern Pakistan. The dry semi-desert regions of parts of Rajasthan have been transformed by irrigation canals into an intensively farmed area.[13]
The great Indian bustard isomnivorous. It prefersinsects, consisting mainly ofOrthoptera, but also beetles includingMylabris species.[4] It also consumesgrass seeds,berries, largely of the generaZiziphus andEruca,rodents andreptiles; in Rajasthan, it also hunts Indian spiny-tailed lizardsUromastyx hardwickii.[14] In cultivated areas, it feeds on crops such as exposed groundnut, millets and pods of legumes.[15]It drinks water if available and sometimes sits down to drink or suck water followed by raising up its heads at an angle.[16] When threatened, hens are said to carry young chicks under the wing.[17] Young birds have been recorded to dust-bathe frequently.[18]
The male ispolygamous.[19] During the breeding season, it is solitary, but congregates to small flocks in winter.[20] It is thought to use a mating system that has been termed as an "exploded or dispersedlek".[21]
Great Indian bustards make local movements but these are not well understood; flocks disperse after themonsoon.[22]
Breeding occurs between March and September, when the inflated fluffy white feathers of the male are inflated and displayed. Territorial fights between males may involve strutting next to each other, leaping against each other with legs against each other and landing down to lock the opponent's head under their neck.[23] During courtship display, the male inflates the gular sac which opens under the tongue, inflating it so that a large wobbly bag appears to hang down from the neck. The tail is held cocked up over the body. The male also raises the tail and folds it on its back. The male periodically produces a resonant deep, booming call that may be heard for nearly 500m.[2][3] The female lays a single egg in an unlined scrape on the ground.[4][24] Only the females are involved in incubation and care of the young. The eggs are at risk of destruction from other animals particularly ungulates and crows.[3] Females may use adistraction display that involves flying zigzag with dangling legs.[3]
The great Indian bustard is listed asCritically Endangered on theIUCN Red List since 2011.[1] It has been extirpated in 90% of its former range, and the population was estimated at perhaps fewer than 250 individuals in 2008.[1] The main threats are hunting and habitat loss. In the past they were heavily hunted for their meat and for sport and, today,poaching of the species may continue. In some places, such asRajasthan, increased irrigation by the Indira Gandhi canal has led to increased agriculture and the altered habitat has led to the disappearance of the species from these regions.[25] Current threats to the species include the development oflinear infrastructure intrusions such asroads andelectric power transmission lines in the desert that lead to collision-related mortality.[26] Proposed expansion of renewable energy infrastructure, which may involve deploying solar panels over large areas of desert and grasslands is another threat to the bird's habitat.[27] Some populations migrate into Pakistan where hunting pressure is high.[13] The great Indian bustard is critically endangered in Pakistan primarily due to lack of protection and rampant hunting.[28]
AtRanibennur Blackbuck Sanctuary, habitat changes have affected wildlife populations. In the 1950s, the scrub forest was replaced withEucalyptus plantations. These helped wildlife when the trees were short but after their extensive growth they made the adjoining grassland less favourable for bustards.[29][30]
Attempts to breed them in captivity in the 1970s failed.[31]
The state of Rajasthan initiated "Project Great Indian Bustard" onWorld Environment Day 2013, identifying and fencing off bustard breeding grounds in existing protected areas as well as provide secure breeding enclosures outside protected areas.[32]In 2020, nine chicks were incubated successfully creating a world record.[33]In 2024, a chick was hatched followingartificial insemination of a female with sperm collected from a male 200 km away.[34]In March and April 2025, in theJaiselmer district ofRajasthan, at the Sam Bustard conservation and breeding centre and the Ramdevra breeding centre, total of 8 chicks hatched out.[35]
The variability in mitochondrial DNA of the great Indian bustard showed low genetic diversity in 63 samples collected in five Indian states. This indicates a historical population reduction estimated to have happened about 20–40,000 years ago.[36]
The Mughal emperorBabur noted that "[while] the flesh of the leg of some fowls, and of the breast of others is excellent; the flesh of every part of theKharchal is delicious".[37][38] The great Indian bustard was however a cryptic and wary bird making it a challenge for sportsmen, who had to stalk carefully (sometimes using covered bullock carts[39]) to get within range.[40] British soldiers in India considered it a delicacy and the species was among the top game-birds.William Henry Sykes notes that they were common in the Deccan region where a "gentleman" had shot a thousand birds.[41][42] Stuart Baker however noted that this may have been an exaggeration.[4] Jerdon noted that subadults and females had tastier flesh than males whileSalim Ali notes that feeding onMylabris (nowHycleus) tainted their flesh.[3][43][44]
TribalBhils are claimed to have used a technique for trapping females that involves setting twigs on fire around the nest containing an egg or chick. The female was then said to run to the nest and singe its wings upon which the tribals captured it.[45] Other trapping methods involving the use of nooses are described byHume in his "Game Birds of India".[5] The invention of the Jeep changed the method of hunting and it became extremely easy for hunters to chase bustards down in their open semi-desert habitats.[3]
The namehoom is used in parts of Maharashtra and is derived from the low booming call. The sharp barking alarm call leads to its name ofhookna in some parts of northern India.[4] It is known in some other parts asGaganbher orGurayin for the resemblance of other calls to thunder or the roar of a tiger.[46]
When the "national bird" of India was under consideration, the great Indian bustard was a proposed candidate (strongly supported by the Indian ornithologistSalim Ali[47][48]), but dropped in favour of theIndian peafowl with at least one reason being the potential for being misspelt.[49][50]
