Great Indian bustard

Great Indian bustard
At Naliya grasslands, Kutch, India
Breeding call recorded in Great Indian Bustard Sanctuary at Nanaj in Solapur district of Maharashtra, India
CITES Appendix I (CITES)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Otidiformes
Family: Otididae
Genus: Ardeotis
Species:
A. nigriceps
Binomial name
Ardeotis nigriceps
(Vigors, 1831)
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.

  1. ^ a b BirdLife International (2018). "Ardeotis nigriceps". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T22691932A134188105. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22691932A134188105.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.