The great bustard is in the bustard family, the only member of the genus "Otis". It breeds in southern and central Europe, and across temperate Asia. European populations are mainly resident, but Asian birds move further south in winter. Portugal and Spain now contain about 60% of the world's population.
Similar species: Crane-like Birds
By Paul Dirksen
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Uploaded Feb 23, 2020. Captured Apr 29, 2012 19:15 in Unnamed Road, Hontalbilla, Segovia, Spain.
comments (9)
Posted 5 years ago
The great bustard (Otis tarda) is a robust and majestic bird. In fact, it is one of the heaviest flying animals! Males can stand up to 105 cm (3ft 5in) tall and weigh up to 40 lbs! Females are remarkably smaller, however, and are only about 1/3 the weight of the male. Great bustards have a European distribution with 60% of the total population residing in Spain and Portugal, although their breeding range extends to Asia and northern Morocco. Despite their cumbersome size, they are good fliers and can reach speeds up to 80 km/h (50 mph)! They are also decent runners with adult female bustards being known to outrun foxes!
Not only are bustards big birds, but they are also really fascinating! Great bustards self-medicate, a behavior is known as zoopharmacognosy. For the great bustard, this means that they eat blister beetles (Meloe sp.). Blister beetles have a compound, called cantharidin, which decreases the parasite load in the bustard’s digestive system. Cool, right?! Well, there’s more! It turns out that cantharidin, which by the way is toxic in moderate doses, is effective against bacteria that cause sexually-transmitted diseases. Interestingly, males ingest more beetles than females during mating season. This beetle-bias suggests that male bustards are using the cantharidin-laden beetles to reduce their parasite load, thus increasing their sexual attractiveness. This theory definitely has credibility and may help explain why female bustards perform a meticulous inspection of a male’s cloaca (opening for urine, feces, and reproduction) before choosing a mate. A nice, clean cloaca without any signs of infection or diarrhea is a good sign to a female that the male is a healthy mate. So, we can assume that blister beetle ingestion by males increases their fitness. Cantharidin is also suspected to increase sexual arousal in male bustards, but I’m sure that’s purely an added benefit. {Spotted in Spain by JungleDragon user, Paul Dirksen} #JungleDragon #Greatbustard #zoopharmacognosy #Otistarda
https://www.facebook.com/jungledragonwildlife/ Posted 5 years ago