Family Bustards (Otididae)
Near Threatened
Little Bustard (Tetrax tetrax)
Taxonomy
French: Outarde canepetière German: Zwergtrappe Spanish: Sisón común
Taxonomy:
Otis Tetrax
Linnaeus
, 1758,France
.DNA sequences suggest close phylogenetic relationship to the Little Brown Bustard (Heterotetrax humilis)#R. E birds have been awarded race orientalis on grounds of larger size and greyer, more heavily marked upperparts; but much individual variation and considerable overlap between populations. Monotypic.
Distribution:
Morocco and Iberia to France, Sardinia and SE Italy (possibly now extinct); Ukraine and SW Russia through Kazakhstan to Kyrgyzstan and extreme NW China; extreme N Iran. Winters from Mediterranean zone through Turkey and Caucasus to Iran, and erratically elsewhere in S Asia.
Descriptive notes
Male 40–45 cm, 794–975 g; female 40–43 cm, 680–945 g; wingspan 105–115 cm. Breeding male has streaked brown crown, blue-grey face shading to... read more
Voice
Not very vocal. Both sexes have a grunting alarm call; in females this is sometimes extended in... read more
Habitat
Steppe and steppe-like landscapes, level or undulating short-grass plains, rich pastureland, fallow... read more
Food and feeding
Beetles, grasshoppers and other terrestrial invertebrates; also much plant material such as shoots, leaves, flowerheads and seeds. Animals... read more
Breeding
Feb–Jun. Nest is a shallow scrape usually in dense short-grass cover. Eggs 2–6; incubation 20–22 days; chick has buff... read more
Movements
Largely sedentary or dispersive in C & S Iberia, SE France (Crau), Sardinia and Italy; migratory in... read more
Status and conservation
Not globally threatened. CITES II. Currently considered Near Threatened. The global population was estimated at more than 250,000 individuals in the late 1990s, much higher... read more
Tetrax tetrax in southern coastal area of Albania
Dear all,
We believed the species to be extinct until we received the attached picture from a hunter firend strollling the dog in an abandoned arable land in southern coastal part of Albania. According to hunters from the area the species is seen in spring time with small groups. So they believe it is a migratory species. They even say that the species spend the night in the forest. I can't really verify that information and for that reason I am writing here to know about the movements of the species.
Is it sedentary in such latitudes or could well be a migratory species?
Thanks in advance for any reply!
Range map of Little Bustard in France
Sadly, it appears to me that the range of Little Bustard as drawn by your range map is a little over optimistic.
The migratory population in France is nowadays largely restricted to a small area in CW France, and not as far north as Paris or Champagne as stated by your map. The range of the sedentary southern population seems accurate though.
Yours faithfully,
David Perrot