Collared Bustard

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Collared Bustard
Collared Bustard (Chlamydotis undulata)

Collared Bustard ( Chlamydotis undulata )

Systematics
Class : Birds (aves)
Order : Otidiformes
Family : Bustards (Otididae)
Genre : Collared bustards ( Chlamydotis )
Type : Collared Bustard
Scientific name
Chlamydotis undulata
( Jacquin , 1784)
Collared bustard of the subspecies C. u. fuertaventurae on Fuerteventura
Collar bust C. u. fuertaventurae in a typical habitat
C. u. fuertaventurae at the courtship

The Houbara Bustard ( Chlamydotis undulata ), even Sahara Houbara called, is a large bird art from the family of bustards (Otididae). There are two subspecies. The Asian bustard , which has long been classified as a subspecies of the bustard, is listed as a separate species.

The distribution area extends from the eastern Canary Islands to North Africa. On the European mainland, the Sahara collared bustard is a rare wanderer , which is occasionally observed in Italy. It is the natural symbol of Fuerteventura .

The population of the collar bustard is classified as vulnerable (= endangered) due to the sharp decline in population in recent years . In order to support wild populations, breeding experiments are undertaken on a wide scale with the aim of reintroducing the bred bustards to the wild.

features

The males of the collar bustard reach a body length of 65 to 75 centimeters and weigh between 1.8 and 3.2 kilograms. The females remain smaller with a body length of 55 to 65 centimeters and weigh between 1.2 and 1.7 kilograms. The gender dimorphism is not very pronounced. The smaller hens are only slightly grayer on the top of their bodies.

The plumage of the bustard is sand-colored on the top and white on the underside. A characteristic feature are the long, black and white feathers hanging down from the neck and the black and white feather bonnet on the head. With its light brown, piebald upper plumage, the collared bustard is well camouflaged and can hardly be seen against the background of the barren habitat.

distribution and habitat

Distribution of the collar bustard:
  • Year-round occurrence

    • The bustard is a desert bird and lives on the islands of Fuerteventura and Lanzarote and in North Africa from Mauritania to the Nile in Egypt . In older literature there is still an area from Sinai to West Pakistan and from the Caspi region to Mongolia. However, this refers to the Asian Houbara Bustard ( Chlamydotis macqueenii ), also called Steppe Houbara Bustard, the type is considered Allospezies led to the Houbara Bustard. In Europe, the Asiatic bustard is a rare wanderer . However, due to its pronounced migratory behavior, it can be observed more frequently than the collar bustard outside of its range in Western Europe. The collared bustard, on the other hand, is a line or standing bird.

    The habitat of the collared bustard are stone and sand steppes, semi-deserts and deserts.

    food

    The bustard is an omnivorous bird. It eats plant material such as fruits, seeds, sprouts, leaves and flowers. The food is supplemented by grasshoppers, crickets and beetles, other arthropods and reptiles. She does not depend on drinking, but is able to meet her water needs from her food. They wander for miles on foot in search of food.

    Reproduction

    Collared bustards are usually solitary and only come together for courtship and mating. The breeding behavior is triggered by local precipitation, which is followed by corresponding plant growth.

    During courtship, the roosters present otherwise hidden white decorative feathers on the neck, crown and chest. The decorative feathers are set up like a collar, whereby the head and neck are no longer visible under the decorative feathers. During courtship, the rooster trippies with prancing steps and runs in straight or circular paths. After mating, the birds are solitary again.

    As is typical for bustards, the female scratches a shallow depression in the ground in which she lays two to three eggs. After hatching, the chicks are led by the female parent bird.

    Duration

    The bustard is endangered due to falcon hunting and has been classified as endangered by the IUCN . It has traditionally been hunted for a long time and the hunt for the bustard has always been emotionally closely linked to Arab identity and way of life. However, there has been a significant change in the form of the hunting method. In the past, hunting parties traveled with camels to remote regions in winter and, due to the conditions, were forced not to go too far from the nearest water source. At present, the hunt is often carried out with desert-ready cars, with a supply column with tanker trucks accompanying the column of cars occasionally. Such hunting parties can contribute to a significant reduction in the populations of the collar bustard. Another factor behind the decline in the bustard population is the destruction of their habitats. In parts of their range, many birds die from collisions with power lines.

    To protect the bustard, there are private projects in various Arab countries in which bustards are bred in captivity and released back into the wild. There is a large breeding station in Morocco, for example, which releases thousands of collar busters every year.

    Subspecies

    Two subspecies have been described, which differ in their coloration and distribution area:

    • Chlamydotis undulata undulata Jacquin , 1784
    • Chlamydotis undulata fuertaventurae Rothschild & Hartert , 1894

    Etymology and history of research

    Nikolaus Joseph Freiherr von Jacquin described the collared bustard under the name The African Knarrhuhn Psophia undulata . The type specimen lived in the imperial-royal Thiergarten at Schönbrunn and came from Tripoli . Only later was it added to the genus Chlamydotis . This name comes from the Greek words "khlamys, khlamydos χλαμυς, χλαμυδος " for " short riding and travel coat" and "ōtis, ōtidos ωτις, ωτιδος " for "bustard". The specific epithet "undulata" comes from the Latin "undulatus" for "decorated with wavy lines". »Fuertaventurae« stands for Fuerteventura , the place from which the type specimen of this subspecies came.

    See also

    Egg,     Museum Wiesbaden collection

    supporting documents

    literature

    • Dominic Couzens : Rare Birds - Survivors, Evolution Losers and the Lost . Haupt, Bern 2011, ISBN 978-3-258-07629-4 .
    • W. Grummt , H. Strehlow (Ed.): Zoo animal keeping birds. Verlag Harri Deutsch, Frankfurt am Main 2009, ISBN 978-3-8171-1636-2 .
    • Nikolaus Joseph Freiherr von Jacquin: Contributions to the history of birds . Christian Friedrich Wappler, Vienna 1784 ( online [accessed November 4, 2014]).
    • James A. Jobling: Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names . Christopher Helm, London 2010, ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4 .
    • Lionel Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild, Ernst Johann Otto Hartert: On a new bustard from the palaearctic region . In: Novitates Zoologicae . tape 1 , 1894, p. 689 ( online [accessed November 4, 2014]).
    • Martin Walters: The signals of birds - What birds reveal about the environment . Haupt, Bern 2011, ISBN 978-3-258-07682-9 .

    Web links

    Commons : Bustard  - album with pictures, videos and audio files

    Single receipts

    1. ↑ Hans-Günther Bauer, Einhard Bezzel and Wolfgang Fiedler (eds.): The compendium of birds in Central Europe: Everything about biology, endangerment and protection. Volume 1: Nonpasseriformes - non-sparrow birds , Aula-Verlag Wiebelsheim, Wiesbaden 2005, ISBN 3-89104-647-2 , p. 388
    2. ↑ Ley 7/1991, de 30 de April, de símbolos de la naturaleza para las Islas Canarias
    3. ↑ Chlamydotis undulata in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2014.7. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2014. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
    4. ↑ Grummt, H. Strehlow (Ed.): Zoo animal keeping birds . P. 284
    5. ↑ Bauer et al., P. 388
    6. ↑ a b Couzon, p. 73
    7. ↑ Couzon, p. 74
    8. ↑ a b Couzon, p. 75
    9. ↑ Nikolaus Joseph Freiherr von Jacquin, p. 24.
    10. ↑ James A. Jobling p. 102
    11. ↑ James A. Jobling p. 396
    12. ^ Lionel Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild a. a., p. 689