Bird Album
Great Bustard
Otis tarda Linnaeus, 1758
115 cmLength180–240 cmWingspan6.8 kgWeight
It is a large bird whose male has white “whiskers” hanging at the front of the neck during the breeding season.
Busiest months: April · Most records: Spain, Portugal, Hungary
How to identify
Field marks
- Rufous-black barring on the upperparts
- White underparts and undertail-coverts
- Breeding male has white whiskers at the front of the neck
- Long legs and feet, long neck and bulky body
Male, female and young
Female is smaller than the male, with a buff breast and neck; immature resembles the female.
Where and when it's recorded
Great Bustard has been recorded at 118 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 11 countries and regions.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
To protect this bird from disturbance, we don't list exact sites.
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
The great bustard (Otis tarda) is a bird in the bustard family, and the only living member of the genus Otis. It breeds in open grasslands and farmland from northern Morocco, South and Central Europe to temperate Central and East Asia. European populations are mainly resident, but Asian populations migrate farther south in winter.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Great Bustard?
The Great Bustard is about 115 cm long, with a wingspan of 180–240 cm and weighs around 6.8 kg.
Where does the Great Bustard live?
Its breeding range: Palearctic: east-central, west-central. It is most often recorded in Spain, Portugal and Hungary.
When is the best time to see the Great Bustard?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in April (Northern Hemisphere).
Is the Great Bustard endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Great Bustard as Endangered.
What does the Great Bustard eat?
Main food: Omnivore.
What family is the Great Bustard in?
It belongs to the family Bustards (Otididae), order Otidiformes.
At a glance
- Length
- 115 cm
- Wingspan
- 180–240 cm
- Weight
- 6.8 kg
- Habitat
- Grassland
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Lifestyle
- Active on the ground
- Migration
- Partial migrant
- Conservation
- Endangered
More measurements
- Wing
- 551 mm
- Tail
- 218 mm
- Bill
- 62 mm
- Tarsus
- 138 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Palearctic: east-central, west-central
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Subspecies · 1
- Otis tarda dybowskii Mongolia to e Siberia and ne China
Classification
- Order
- Otidiformes
- Family
- Bustards Otididae
- Genus
- Otis
More from the family Bustards
Arabian BustardArdeotis arabs
Kori BustardArdeotis kori
Great Indian BustardArdeotis nigriceps
Australian BustardArdeotis australis
African HoubaraChlamydotis undulata
Asian HoubaraChlamydotis macqueenii
Ludwig's BustardNeotis ludwigii
Denham's BustardNeotis denhami
Heuglin's BustardNeotis heuglinii
Nubian BustardNeotis nuba
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by lonelyshrimp. ↗
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