In the grasslands as we travelled we spotted a few of these impresive looking birds. This is a Kori Bustard. They stand tall and when they fly they look huge-they have a wingspan of about 2.3m. Bustards use to be common and were seen in large flocks of sometimes 1000 birds (near Hay in 1897), but we only saw birds in pairs. There are around 20 species of bustards worldwide and the numbers of all of these have declined as humans have encroached on and changed their natural habitat, the grasslands. They eat grasses, seeds and fruits, lots of insects (mainly grasshoppers and the like) and small mammals like mice and even lizards. They lead a nomadic lifestyle following rain. The same bird is found in south and east Africa and north-western India and parts of NewGuinea.Sunday, June 7, 2009
Kori Bustard
In the grasslands as we travelled we spotted a few of these impresive looking birds. This is a Kori Bustard. They stand tall and when they fly they look huge-they have a wingspan of about 2.3m. Bustards use to be common and were seen in large flocks of sometimes 1000 birds (near Hay in 1897), but we only saw birds in pairs. There are around 20 species of bustards worldwide and the numbers of all of these have declined as humans have encroached on and changed their natural habitat, the grasslands. They eat grasses, seeds and fruits, lots of insects (mainly grasshoppers and the like) and small mammals like mice and even lizards. They lead a nomadic lifestyle following rain. The same bird is found in south and east Africa and north-western India and parts of NewGuinea.
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