The great Indian bustard or Indian bustard is a bustard occurring on the Indian subcontinent. It is a large bird with a horizontal body and long bare legs, and is among the heaviest of the flying birds. Once common on the dry grasslands and shrubland in India, as few as 150 individuals were estimated to survive as of 2018, reduced from an estimated 250 individuals in 2011. It is critically endangered due to hunting and habitat loss. It is protected under the Indian Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
Great Indian bustard
Illustration by Henrik Grönvold from E. C. Stuart Baker's Game-birds of India, Burma and Ceylon
From Thomas Hardwicke's Illustrations of Indian Zoology (1830–1835)
Eggs of the species in comparison to the smaller ones of the lesser florican
Bustards, including floricans and korhaans, are large, terrestrial birds living mainly in dry grassland areas and on the steppes of the Old World. They range in length from 40 to 150 cm. They make up the family Otididae.
Bustard
Flying bustards – Apajpuszta, Hungary
Image: Black bellied Bustard
Image: Denham's Bustard (Neotis denhami) (7083219537)