Great Indian bustard | |
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At Naliya grasslands, Kutch, India | |
Breeding call recorded in Great Indian Bustard Sanctuary at Nanaj in Solapur district of Maharashtra, India | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Otidiformes |
Family: | Otididae |
Genus: | Ardeotis |
Species: | A. nigriceps
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Binomial name | |
Ardeotis nigriceps (Vigors, 1831)
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Points where the species has been recorded. Once widespread, the species is today found mainly in central and western India. | |
Synonyms | |
Choriotis nigriceps, Eupodotis edwardsi, Otis nigriceps |
The great Indian bustard (Ardeotis nigriceps) 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.