Great Bustard: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Birds That Walk · day 1 of 7

Five facts

1. A male from Manchuria weighed about 21 kg, a world record for the heaviest bird able to fly.
2. No living bird shows a bigger size gap between the sexes. In Spain, adult males weighed on average 2.48 times as much as females.
3. A courting male inflates his throat as big as a football, tucks his head out of sight and shows off white feathers that are usually hidden.
4. Its Latin name tarda means slow, a good fit for its unhurried walk. Even the English word bustard comes from Latin for slow bird.
5. Great bustards that nest in northern Mongolia travel more than 2,000 km south to spend the winter in China.

The quiz

1. What record does a great bustard from Manchuria hold?

• Fastest bird on the ground
• Heaviest bird able to fly (correct)
• Longest-lived bird
• Biggest egg of any bird

At about 21 kg, it is the world record for the heaviest flying bird.

2. In Spain, how much heavier were adult males than females on average?

• About the same weight
• Females were heavier
• 2.48 times heavier (correct)
• Ten times heavier

On average, males weighed 2.48 times as much as females.

3. What does a displaying male puff up to the size of a football?

• His throat (correct)
• His tail
• His wings
• His crest

He inflates his throat as big as a football.

4. What does the Latin name tarda mean?

• Heavy
• Proud
• Bearded
• Slow (correct)

Tarda is Latin for slow, which fits its calm walk.

5. Where do great bustards from northern Mongolia spend the winter?

• In China (correct)
• In Spain
• In England
• They stay in Mongolia

They migrate more than 2,000 km to China.

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