Bustard [1] ( lat. Otididae ) is a family of large land birds native to the Old World , the only one in the order of bustard-like [2] (Otidiformes). Includes 26 species and 11 genera [3] .
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 African Great Bustard | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Otididae ( Rafinesque , 1815 ) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Traditionally, the bustards were assigned to the crane-like order, and later, on the basis of molecular data, they were assigned to an independent order [3] [4] . Their closest relatives turned out to be cuckoo (the separation time is estimated at about 50-60 million years ago), and the more distant are tuka ; these three groups form the clade Otidimorphae [5] .
It is believed that bustards originated in Africa (it was on this continent that they produced significant adaptive radiation in the first half of the Tertiary period ) [2] . The oldest reliable identified fossils of bustard belong to the Pliocene of Eurasia and North Africa; there are also doubtful finds of the Miocene age [4] .
Content
Distribution
All species except one inhabit the steppes , savannahs and semi-deserts of Africa , Asia, and southern Europe ; one species of Australian Great Bustard ( Ardeotis australis ) lives in Australia and New Guinea . 16 species of bustard live exclusively in the tropical zone of Africa, another 2 times appear in its northern part.
Most prefer open spaces where there is good visibility over a considerable distance. Some African species, such as small bustards ( Eupodotis ), crested bustards ( Lophotis ), black-bellied bustards ( Lissotis ) are tolerant of various tree vegetation, such as acacia groves or thickets of thorny bushes; and small Indian bustards ( Sypheotides ) and floricans ( Houbaropsis ) usually inhabit areas with tall grass.
Description
The size and weight of birds varies significantly from 40 to 120 cm and from 0.45 to 19 kg, respectively [1] (inaccessible link) ; The largest representative of the family is the African Great Bustard ( Ardeotis kori ), reaching a height of 110 cm and a weight of up to 19 kg, which makes it one of the most massive flying birds on Earth.
Strong physique. The head is relatively large, slightly flattened in the upper part. The male bustards Otis , large bustards ( Ardeotis ), African bustards ( Neotis ), black-bellied bustards ( Lissotis ), beauty bustards ( Chlamydotis ) and floricans ( Houbaropsis ) have a feathery crest on their heads, which are especially clearly visible during breeding games. The beak is short, straight. The neck is long, slightly thickened. The wings are large and strong, with the appearance of danger, birds most often try to fly away. The legs are long, with wide and relatively short fingers, on which in the lower part there are hard callous halfs; the back finger is absent, which indicates their terrestrial lifestyle. Males of bustard are larger than females, which is most noticeable in large species - the difference in their size reaches up to 1/3 of the length of the other sex; in smaller species, the difference is less noticeable.
The plumage of predominantly protective shades: in the upper part is brown or finely striated, which merges well the bird pressed to the ground with the environment. In the lower part, the plumage is different: in species inhabiting open spaces, it is often white; and with dense vegetation sometimes black. Many species on the wings have black and white spots that are invisible on the ground and are clearly visible when flying. Males, as a rule, are colored more brightly in comparison with females, at least during the breeding season; the exception is the genus Small bustards ( Eupodotis ), where the plumage of both sexes looks the same.
Lifestyle
Bustards lead exclusively terrestrial lifestyles, never using trees or shrubs. Several species, such as the bustard ( Otis tarda ) or strep ( Tetrax tetrax ), gather in flocks, with the latter living in groups of several thousand individuals. Species adapted to deserts, such as beauty bustards ( Chlamydotis ), live more solitary. Some species are collected in groups only during the mating season. Often they can be seen among herds of grazing animals, where they prey on disturbed insects and are more protected from attack by predators.
Only a few populations lead an exclusively sedentary lifestyle, while most migrate or are migratory birds. Species breeding in Asia migrate over long distances in winter.
Nutrition
Bustard omnivores and have a very wide dietary range. However, in most species, plant food predominates. They consume young shoots, flowers and leaves of herbaceous plants ; dig out the soft roots; feed on fruits and seeds. In addition, they feed on various insects: bugs , grasshoppers and other arthropods. Sometimes they eat small vertebrates: reptiles , rodents , etc., without disdain and carrion . Birds can go without water for a long time, but if it is available, they drink it well.
Reproduction
The breeding season usually coincides with the rainy season, when there is an abundance of food. When courtship, males of many species hold magnificent demonstrations, in which they are capable of ruffling the neck, emitting an impressive drum trill, as well as inflating it like a balloon. Small species, especially those living among tall grass, jump high in the air or make small flights so that it is noticeable from a distance.
As a rule, there is no long-term relationship between the female and the male, and after fertilization the female incubates eggs and hatches the chicks alone. The nest settles down on the ground, in a small depression covered with grass vegetation. The female lays 1-6 (most often 2-4) eggs for several days. The incubation period is different for different species, but generally lasts in a small interval of 20-25 days. Chicks are brood type and are able to leave the nest within a few hours after birth.
Classification
- Genus Afrotis
- Black Bustard ( Afrotis afra )
- Afrotis afraoides
- Genus Bustard-Beauty ( Chlamydotis )
- Chlamydotis undulata
- Whirl ( Chlamydotis macqueenii )
- Genus Great Bustard ( Ardeotis )
- Arabian Great Bustard ( Ardeotis arabs )
- African Great Bustard ( Ardeotis kori )
- Indian Great Bustard ( Ardeotis nigriceps )
- Australian Great Bustard ( Ardeotis australis )
- Genus Lesser Bustards ( Eupodotis )
- Senegalese bustard ( Eupodotis senegalensis )
- Blue bustard ( Eupodotis caerulescens )
- Black-throated Lesser Bustard ( Eupodotis vigorsii )
- Eupodotis rueppellii
- Brown minor bustard ( Eupodotis humilis )
- ? Genus Houbaropsis
- Little Bearded Bustard ( Houbaropsis bengalensis )
- Genus Lissotis
- Black-bellied Lesser Bustard ( Lissotis melanogaster )
- Sudanese Lesser Bustard ( Lissotis hartlaubii )
- Genus Lophotis
- Red- crested Bustard ( Lophotis ruficrista )
- Lophotis savilei
- Lophotis gindiana
- Genus African bustard ( Neotis )
- South African bustard ( Neotis ludwigii )
- Kafra African bustard ( Neotis denhami )
- Somali bustard ( Neotis heuglinii )
- Nubian bustard ( Neotis nuba )
- Rod Bustards ( Otis )
- Bustard ( Otis tarda )
- Genus Small Indian bustard ( Sypheotides )
- Lesser Indian bustard ( Sypheotides indica )
- Rod Strepet ( Tetrax )
- Strept ( Tetrax tetrax )
Notes
- ↑ Boehme R. L. , Flint V. E. The Bilingual Dictionary of Animal Names. Birds. Latin, Russian, English, German, French / Ed. ed. Acad. V. E. Sokolova . - M .: Rus. lang., "RUSSO", 1994. - S. 76. - 2030 copies. - ISBN 5-200-00643-0 .
- ↑ 1 2 Atemasova T.A. Systematics of birds. - Kharkov: KhNU named after V.N. Karazin, 2012 .-- 191 p. - S. 46.
- ↑ 1 2 Bustards, mesites, Kagu, seriemas, flufftails & finfoots . IOC World Bird List. Date of treatment October 9, 2017. Archived October 9, 2017.
- ↑ 1 2 Mayr G. 8. The “Difficult-to-Place Groups”: Biogeographic Surprises and Aerial Specialists // Avian Evolution: The Fossil Record of Birds and Its Paleobiological Significance. - John Wiley & Sons Ltd, 2016 .-- P. 131. - ISBN 9781119020677 . - DOI : 10.1002 / 9781119020677.ch8 .
- ↑ Prum RO, Berv JS, Dornburg A. et al. A comprehensive phylogeny of birds (Aves) using targeted next-generation DNA sequencing (Eng.) // Nature: journal. - 2015. - Vol. 526 , no. 7574 . - P. 569-573 . - DOI : 10.1038 / nature15697 . - . - PMID 26444237 .
Literature
- Boehme R. L. , Flint V. E. The Bilingual Dictionary of Animal Names. Birds. Latin, Russian, English, German, French / Ed. ed. Acad. V. E. Sokolova . - M .: Rus. lang., "RUSSO", 1994. - S. 76-77. - 2030 copies. - ISBN 5-200-00643-0 .
- Sibley, Charles G .; Jon E. Ahlquist (1990). Phylogeny and Classification of the Birds: A Study in Molecular Evolution. New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN 0-300-04085-7 .
- Knox, Alan G .; Martin Collinson, Andreas J. Helbig, David T. Parkin & George Sangster (October 2002). "Taxonomic recommendations for British birds." Ibis 144 (4): 707-710. DOI : 10.1046 / j.1474-919X.2002.00110.x .
- Ecology and conservation of Steppe-Land birds by Gerard Bota et al. International Symposium on Ecology and Conservation of Steppe-land birds. Lynx Edicions 2005.343 pages. ISBN 84-87334-99-7
Links
- Bionet škola
- Bustard on montereybay.com
- Full description of bustard (inaccessible link) ( archive )