Larry's Gallery:   Australian Bustard (1/3)

GRUIFORMES: Otididae

Ardeotis australis  

"The Bustard has had a hard time of it. About the most unfortunate thing that can be said for a bird, especially a big bird, is that it is a treat to eat.

Early white settlers made sure of this reputation for the Bustard by calling it a turkey. It barely survived those first onslaughts and was practically wiped out of all its southern stamping grounds. It retreated to the top country to become a bird of the outback.

The Bustard is not geared to rebuild its numbers following the mass slaughterings which have been its fate. For it usually lays only one egg, just occasionally two, in an entire season."*

*Schurmann, Ted (1984). Australian Birdwatcher's Diary. Rigby Publishers, p.73-74.