Gackling bustard

Gackling bustard
	Great Horned Bustard ( Afrotis afra ) in Bontebok National Park, South Africa
Systematics
Class :	Birds (aves)
Order :	Otidiformes
Family :	Bustards (Otididae)
Genre :	Afrotis
Type :	Gackling bustard
Scientific name
	Afrotis afra
	( Linnaeus , 1766)

The Great Bustard ( Afrotis afra ) is one of 27 known species of bustard.

Appearance

Gackle bustards grow up to 50 cm and weigh around 700 g. These birds have a strongly spotted pattern of dark brown and white plumage on their back, which is outlined in white and stands in striking contrast to the otherwise black body. The head is black with a white spot behind each of the orange-brown eyes and a small gold-brown-white striped head of feathers on the back of the head. The bill is pale pink with a gray elevation on the upper beak. The tail is greyish with two strong black stripes. The legs are bright yellow. The plumage of female Gackelbrappen is more brownish with more spots on the back, whitish chest and black belly.

Distribution and habitat

Gackeltrappen are native to South Africa and live primarily in open grasslands and swampy areas.

In the late 1970s, gackling bustards were breeding in Bontebok National Park , but their numbers were inconsistent.

Way of life

Lobster bustards feed on plant matter and insects. In the southwest of the former Cape Province, they also consume seeds of the Acacia cyclops, introduced in the 19th century, and the willow-leaf acacia and thus contribute significantly to the spread of these species.

Web links

Commons : Gackeltrappe ( Afrotis afra ) - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Afrotis afra in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2011. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2009. Accessed November 13, 2011th
Birdlife International: Eupodotis afra

Individual evidence

^ ^A ^b J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal: Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 3: Hoatzin to Auks. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona 1996.
^ DG Allan, JA Harrison, RA Navarro, BW van Wilgen, M .W. Thompson: The Impact of Commercial Afforestation on Bird Populations in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa - Insights from Bird-Atlas Data. In: Biological Conservation. No. 79, 1997, pp. 173-185 ( full text as PDF ).
^ ST Baron: An updated list of birds of the Bontebok National Park. In: Koedoe Vol. 24, No. 1, 1981, pp. 79-98 ( full text as PDF ).
↑ RS Knight, IAW Macdonald: Acacias and korhaans: An artificially assembled seed dispersal system. In: South African Journal of Botany / Suid-Afrikaanse Tydskrif vir Plantkunde. 57 (4), 1991, pp. 220-225.

[hbw3-1] A ^b J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal: Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 3: Hoatzin to Auks. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona 1996.

[2] DG Allan, JA Harrison, RA Navarro, BW van Wilgen, M .W. Thompson: The Impact of Commercial Afforestation on Bird Populations in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa - Insights from Bird-Atlas Data. In: Biological Conservation. No. 79, 1997, pp. 173-185 ( full text as PDF ).

[3] ST Baron: An updated list of birds of the Bontebok National Park. In: Koedoe Vol. 24, No. 1, 1981, pp. 79-98 ( full text as PDF ).

[4] RS Knight, IAW Macdonald: Acacias and korhaans: An artificially assembled seed dispersal system. In: South African Journal of Botany / Suid-Afrikaanse Tydskrif vir Plantkunde. 57 (4), 1991, pp. 220-225.