Male and female © Niall D Perrins
Male © Niall D Perrins
© Michelle Martin
Female © Brad Arthur

Blue Bustard Eupodotis caerulescens

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Identification

POWERED BY MERLIN

A medium-sized bustard with striking bluish-gray underparts and neck, and dull chestnut back. The male has a black-and-white face, while the female and juvenile are duller below with buffy ears. Small groups prefer treeless grassland, grassy Karoo, and open farmland. They feed on plants and small animals. Often first detected by its dry, throaty, frog-like, three-syllabled “druk-de-dow” call, sometimes echoed by other group members creating a choral cacophony. Vocal in the morning and late afternoon.

POWERED BY MERLIN