 There are 25 species in this family of birds. Most species are found in the grasslands of Asia and Africa, although there is one species found in Australia and a few species found in Europe.
Bustards are large birds and have long legs with long toes, long necks, and pointed wings. Unlike other birds, they don't have a rear toe, so they can't perch in trees! They rarely fly, instead they stride though the grass or stand motionless looking for food like insects, lizards, and plants!
Bustards are usually a speckled or streaked brown or gray on their uppersides to help them blend in with their surroundings. They are a lighter color on their undersides.
Two of the heaviest flying birds, the Kori bustard and the great bustard, are in this family.
 Otididae Photo Gallery
World Status Key
 Least Concern  Near Threatened  Vulnerable  Endangered  Critically Endangered  Extinct in Wild  Extinct
Status and range is taken from ICUN Redlist. If no status is listed, there is not enough data to establish status.
US Status Key
 Threatened in US  Threatened in NH  Endangered in US  Endangered in NH  Introduced
Status taken from US Fish and Wildlife and NH Fish and Game
New Hampshire Species |
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North/Central American Species |
None
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None |
Additional Information
Key:  Profile  Photos  Video  Audio
Arabian Bustard - Ardeotis arabs  
The Arabian bustard is found in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sudan, and Yemen.
Source: Internet Bird Collection Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Australian Bustard - Ardeotis australis 
The Australian bustard is sometimes called the bush turkey.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Australian Bustard - Ardeotis australis
The Australian bustard is found in Australia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea.
Source: Internet Bird Collection Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Bengal Florican - Houbaropsis bengalensis
The Bengal florican is found in India and Nepal.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Bengal Florican - Houbaropsis bengalensis
The Bengal florican is critically endangered because its habitat is being converted to agricultural use.
Source: Bird Life International Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Bengal Florican - Houbaropsis bengalensis
The male Bengal florican has a crest of feathers on its head and a plume of feathers on its neck.
Source: Internet Bird Collection Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Black Bustard - Eupodotis afra
The black bustard is found in South Africa.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Black-bellied Bustard - Eupodotis melanogaster
The black-bellied bustard is found in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Blue Bustard - Eupodotis caerulescens
The blue bustard is found in Lesotho and South Africa.
Source: Internet Bird Collection Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Denham's Bustard - Neotis denhami
Denham's bustard is also known as Stanley's bustard. It is found in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Denham's Bustard - Neotis denhami
Denham's bustard does not migrate, but it sometimes moves to lower elevations in the winter.
Source: Internet Bird Collection Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Great Bustard - Otis tarda 
The great bustard is found in southern and central Europe as well as in Asia.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Great Bustard - Otis tarda
The great bustard population is threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation.
Source: Bird Life International Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Great Bustard - Otis tarda
The great bustard weighs between 20-35 pounds and may be one of the heaviest flying animals.
Source: Internet Bird Collection Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Great Indian Bustard - Ardeotis nigriceps
The great Indian bustard is found in India.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Great Indian Bustard - Ardeotis nigriceps
The great Indian bustard is threatened by habitat loss.
Source: Bird Life International Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Great Indian Bustard - Ardeotis nigriceps
The great Indian bustard is a large bird with long legs, a long neck, a white body with brown wings. It has a black cap on its head.
Source: Internet Bird Collection Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School Hartlaub's Bustard - Eupodotis hartlaubii
Hartlaub's bustard is found in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Heuglin's Bustard - Neotis heuglinii
Heuglin's bustard is found in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia.
Source: Internet Bird Collection Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Houbara Bustard - Chlamydotis undulata
The Houbara bustard is found across North Africa, the Middle East and western Asia.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Houbara Bustard - Chlamydotis undulata
The Houbara bustard is found deserts and dry sandy areas.
Source: Internet Bird Collection Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Karoo Bustard - Eupodotis vigorsii
The Karoo bustard is found in Lesotho, Namibia, and South Africa.
Source: Internet Bird Collection Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Kori Bustard - Ardeotis kori
The Kori bustard is found in Angola, Botswana, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe
.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Kori Bustard - Ardeotis kori
The Kori bustard is found in dry habitats.
Source: Animal Diversity Web Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Kori Bustard - Ardeotis kori
Kori bustards are omnivorous.
Source: National Zoo Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Kori Bustard - Ardeotis kori
The Kori bustard is also known as the large bustard.
Source: Internet Bird Collection Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Kori Bustard - Ardeotis kori
The Kori bustard is one of the heaviest flying birds. It spends most of its time on the ground and usually only flies to escape danger.
Source: Zoo Atlanta Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Elementary/ Middle School
Lesser Florican - Sypheotides indicus
The lesser florican is found in India and Nepal.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Lesser Florican - Sypheotides indicus
The lesser florican is endangered due to habitat loss.
Source: Bird Life International Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Lesser Florican - Sypheotides indicus
The lesser florican is found in dry grasslands.
Source: Internet Bird Collection Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Little Brown Bustard - Eupodotis humilis
The little brown bustard is found in Ethiopia and Somalia.
Source: Bird Life International Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Little Brown Bustard - Eupodotis humilis
The little brown bustard is the smallest bustard species.
Source: Internet Bird Collection Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Little Bustard - Tetrax tetrax
The little bustard is found in southern Europe, northern Africa, and in western and central Asia.
Source: Internet Bird Collection Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Ludwig's Bustard - Neotis ludwigii
Ludwig's bustard is found in Angola, Namibia, and South Africa.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Ludwig's Bustard - Neotis ludwigii
Ludwig's bustard is found in Angola, Namibia, and South Africa.
Source: Internet Bird Collection Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Ludwig's Bustard - Neotis ludwigii
The Ludwig's bustard population has declined, in part, because of collisions with power lines.
Source: Bird Life International Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Nubian Bustard - Neotis nuba
The Nubian bustard is found in Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, and Sudan.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Rueppell's Bustard - Eupodotis rueppellii
The blank bustard is found in Angola and Namibia.
Source: Internet Bird Collection Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
White-bellied Bustard - Eupodotis senegalensis
The white-bellied bustard is found in Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, and Zambia.
Source: Internet Bird Collection Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
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There are 25 species in this family of birds. Most species are found in the grasslands of Asia and Africa, although there is one species found in Australia and a few species found in Europe.
Antarctica 
North America 
South America 
NH