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7

Australian Bustard (Ardeotis australis) Alternate name(s): "Plains Turkey", "Wild Turkey", "Turkey", "Kori Bustard" Aboriginal name(s): Race "australis": "mantaba", "murranudda", "boorawa" ("burrawa"), "cooraki", "kipara", "kyogle", "nanatee", "nanundi", "numerkah", "pooranna", "ballala", "kio", "gumblegubbin" "bebilya", "kooli", "wabanga", "bibilerak", "barado" (WA) Size: 80 cm - 1.3 m; wing span up to 2.3 m Weight: 4-7 (max. 14) kg (male), 2-4 kg (female)

Australia: Family Group 7 Family Group 7 Table Dusky Moorhen Australasian (Purple) Swamphen Black-tailed Native-hen Tasmanian Native-hen Pale-vented Bush-hen Eurasian Coot White-browed Crake Spotless Crake Baillon's Crake Australian Spotted Crake Lewin's Rail Buff-banded Rail Chestnut Rail White-breasted Waterhen Lord Howe Woodhen Australian Bustard Brolga Sarus Crane Thumbnails page Family group table Index of bird names Habitat pages Key plants Birds home page

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Australian Bustards are tall, turkey-like birds of the plains. They have a dark cap and a narrow black breast band that separates the grey head (eyebrows and cheeks) and neck from the white plumage of belly and vent. The upperparts (mantle, wings) are brown. Males have a black cap and a wider black breast band than females, who have a smaller, brown cap. The irises of both sexes are yellow. The bill is grey, legs and feet are greyish-yellow. Juvenile and immature Australian Bustards have highly cryptic plumage: Hatchlings are mottled brown, juveniles resemble more closely their parents, but their plumage is mottled with grey specks for camouflage in open grassland.

Taxonomy, classification See Australian Bustard at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed based on sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Australian Bustard is available HERE . Apart from Australia, Australian Bustards are also found across the Bass Strait, in southern Papua/Papua New Guinea. Australian Bustards can be found basically everywhere in the northern half of the Australian continent, including the most arid parts of the continent, while in the southern half their distribution is patchy. They are not found along the south-eastern coastal fringe and Tasmania (see a field guide for details). Australian Bustards live mostly in open grassland, including paddocks, and open woodland with grassy undergrowth (in tropical, i.e. wet, but also semi-arid to arid environments).

Sightings Click here for sighting information An Australian Bustard was seen 20 km South of Narrabri, on several occasions in November/December 2006, where it roosted in a palm tree. M. Mearns reports spotting an Australian Bustard 50 km South of Karumba, QLD, in November 2012. Next, a single Australian Bustard was spotted by us about 10 km West of Narrabri, NSW, in July 2014. J. Greaves reports spotting an Australian Bustard at the Granites Gold Mine, inland NT, in June 2015, and at Boolardy Station, Murchison, WA, in August 2016.

Photos

ADULT

MALE

Close-up lateral view of a male Australian Bustard (photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[Near Karumba, QLD, November 2012]

Lateral view of two male Australian Bustards (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Boolardy Station, Murchison, WA, August 2016]

Lateral view of two male Australian Bustards (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Boolardy Station, Murchison, WA, August 2016]

Lateral view of a male Australian Bustard in open grassland
[Near Narrabri, NSW, July 2014]

Dorsal view of a male Australian Bustard in open grassland
[Near Narrabri, NSW, July 2014]

Frontal view of a male Australian Bustard in captivity

FEMALE

Full-frontal view of a female Australian Bustard (photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[Near Karumba, QLD, November 2012]

Lateral view of a female Australian Bustard (photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[Near Karumba, QLD, November 2012]

Lateral view of a female Australian Bustard (photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[Near Karumba, QLD, November 2012]

Lateral view of an Australian Bustard in flight
[Near Narrabri, NSW, July 2014]

Dorsal view of an Australian Bustard in flight (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[The Granites Gold Mine, inland NT, June 2015]

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

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