Giant bustard
| Giant bustard | ||||||||||
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Giant bustard ( Ardeotis kori ) |
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| Ardeotis kori | ||||||||||
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The giant bustard ( Ardeotis kori , also Koritrappe ) is a large species of bird that occurs in eastern and southern Africa.
description
Giant bustards show extreme sexual dimorphism : males can be more than twice as heavy as females. The giant bustard reaches a height and length of around 1.3 meters, a wingspan of up to 2.75 meters and a weight, depending on gender , of 6-19 kilograms. It is one of the heaviest birds capable of flying . The plumage is mainly black-brown, but the head, neck and belly are greyish to white in color. The female is a little more dull in color. The long and featherless legs and the three strong toes on the feet are striking . They are very shy birds that have a long flight distance.
Subspecies
- Ardeotis kori kori ( Burchell , 1822) - from southern Angola and Namibia eastwards through Botswana to the south of Zimbabwe and Mozambique , southwards to South Africa
- Ardeotis kori struthiunculus ( Neumann , 1907) - East Africa : northern Tanzania , north-east Uganda and Kenya , south-east Sudan to north-west Somalia and central Ethiopia
distribution
Giant bustards live in the vast savannas and semi-deserts of South and East Africa . The subspecies Ardeotis kori kori lives in southern Africa, Ardeotis kori struthiunculus is widespread in East Africa.
behavior
In addition to plant-based foods such as berries and seeds , they also eat animal foods. This includes in particular insects , small reptiles , snakes , young birds and also smaller mammals .
The mating season begins with the end of the dry season . During the courtship season , the rooster impresses the courted females with its inflated throat pouch, with which it produces dull, dark courtship calls. After mating, which lasts only a few seconds, the male returns to the courtship area. It is not involved in the rearing of the young birds.
The nest is a simple hollow in the floor that is sparsely padded. The female lays one or two olive-colored eggs , which she hatch in about 26 to 29 days. The eggs have a weight of around 160 grams and a diameter of 4 cm. The hatched young birds flee the nest and follow their mother immediately after hatching. For the first two weeks they are fed by the mother, after which they look for food independently. The fledglings are fledged at around five weeks, but stay with their mother for a few more weeks. The sexual maturity is achieved with 4-5 years, the life expectancy is 30 years.
Web links
- Ardeotis kori in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2008. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2008. Accessed January 31 of 2009.
- Videos, photos and sound recordings for Ardeotis kori in the Internet Bird Collection
literature
- David Burnie (Ed.): Birds. Munich 2008, Dorling Kindersley, ISBN 978-3-8310-1272-5 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Jill Bible: Ardeotis kori (Kori bustard). Retrieved July 23, 2020 .
- ^ Kori Bustard {Ardeotis Kori}. Retrieved July 23, 2020 .
- ↑ Burnie, p. 207.