Sunday 19 May Great bustard (Otis tarda) What’s the World’s
Favourite Species?Find out here. Great bustard fact file - Find
out more - Print factsheet Great bustard description A tall
bird, the great bustard has a grey head and neck, and a brown
back barred with black (2). The underparts are white with males
developing a reddish-brown breast band that gets bigger with age
(2) (5). The great bustard has an upright stance when walking,
and flies with regular and powerful wing beats (2). - Avutarda,
Avutarda Común. - Length: 75 – 105 cm (2) Great bustard biology
Male great bustards become sexually mature at four to five years
of age, while females are known to have bred at just one year of
age (5). Males compete in what is known as a lekking system,
gathering together at small display grounds (known as a 'lek')
from where they attempt to impress females (6). The nests, which
are shallow pits on dry, soft slopes and plains, are usually
situated close to leks. After the female has chosen a male and
mated with him,