Great Bustard Otis tarda   [Linnaeus, 1758]

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Order: Gruiformes Family: Otididae
BTO Codes: US, GREBU EURING No: 4460
Number in Britain: 2 pairs (Summer)
Conservation Status:
UK: Not Assessed
European: 1 Global Conservation Concern; Vulnerable
Global: Vulnerable ( Details )
Links to: Images   Videos   Sound  
Status in UK: (A)  Former Breeder, Accidental
Subspecies: tarda recorded in Britain (of 2 subsp. in the world)
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Length: 90 cm Wingspan: 225 cm Weight: M: 12 kg   F: 4.2 kg    
Scientific name from: Gr.: otis=bustard and L.: tarda a Hispanic name for the Great Bustard
World Distribution: Locally in Iberia, c Europe, c Asia
Habitat: Arid steppe, dry heath, farmland
Diet: Plants and invertebrates
TitBit: Despite the association of this bird with farming, the disappearance of this bird from Britain, which requires large open landscapes, in the 1840s coincided with the enclosure of fields with hedgerows, although the fact that it was hunted for the table will also have contributed.  

Records and Distribution

First Record: 15th Century
Total Number of Records (1950-2007): 20 Summary of Records by Year
Most Likely to Occur in:
Most Recent County Records:
   Scotland: Ayrshire (1895), Orkney (1924), Shetland (1970),
   North-east England: Northumberland (1871), East Yorkshire (1864), North Yorkshire (1926),
   North-west England: Cumbria (1854),
   English Midlands: Nottinghamshire (1906),
   Eastern England: Cambridgeshire (1891), Essex (1890), Lincolnshire (1866), Norfolk (1987), Suffolk (1987),
   South-east England: Berkshire (1856), Hampshire (1910), Kent (1981), Greater London (1870), East Sussex (1891),
   South-west England: Cornwall (1879), Devon (1870), Dorset (1888), Gloucestershire (1977), Somerset (1870), Wiltshire (1891),
   Wales: Carmarthen (1890), Gower (1902),

Information provided by BirdGuides and BBRC

Other Names

 
Gaelic: Coileach-Frangach Welsh: Ceiliog y Waun
Danish: Stortrappe Dutch: Grote trap
Finnish: Isotrappi French: Grande outarde
German: Großtrappe Hungarian: Túzok
Icelandic: Trölladoðra Irish: Bustard Mór
Italian: Otarda Norwegian: Stortrappe
Polish: Drop zwyczajny Portuguese: Abetarda-comum
Spanish: Avutarda Swedish: Stortrapp
Collective Noun:Drove

For More Information...

Books and Monographs:
   Morales, M.B. & Martin, C.A. 2002 BWP Update 4:217-232
   Waters, E. & Waters, D. 2005 The former status of Great Bustard in Britain British Birds 98:295-305
   Click for: 2006 The Great Bustard Great Bustard Group, Romsey Hants
See Also:
Find scientific papers on Google Scholar or Scirus by clicking the icon
Wikipedia entry
BirdLife species page
Recent sightings and information from BirdGuides
European Species Action Plan