Behaviour

Great Bustards are highly gregarious birds that form social units termed ‘droves’. Males and females live in separate droves and there is a tendency for birds of the same age to keep together. Large, often loose, flocks form in winter, which may wander in search of food, sometimes joining up with other flocks. Female droves visit groups of displaying males briefly during the breeding season.

Gait is slow and deliberate but bustards are capable of surprisingly fast dashes. Feeding action is a swift pick-up of food from the ground and fast ‘snatching’ of vegetation, often done with apparent petty scrutiny. They have a very wary nature, and will often withdraw into tall vegetation but never into bushes or trees. They are unable to perch, so are only ever seen on the ground. Flight between 30-100 m above ground, action noticeably regular and uninterrupted, never glides, beats slow and majestic, but progress rapid. Wings long and deeply ‘fingered’ appearing mostly white. Silent, unless flushed or threatened at very close range then nasal bark sometimes heard.

Lack of an opposable hind claw means they cannot perch, so they are a completely ground-dwelling bird.

Great Bustards are notoriously shy and wary birds, often taking cover when alarmed but sometimes flying away. This type of behaviour makes them very difficult to observe.

Food

The Great Bustard is omnivorous, meaning it eats both animal and plant matter. Diet is mainly plants in Spring, Autumn and Winter. Typically takes young shoots, leaves, flowers, ripe and unripe seeds but occasionally rhizomes, bulbs, berries and fruits. Proportion of animal food varies with season, locality, age and sex of bird. Mostly carnivorous in summer. Insects and their larvae predominate but small vertebrates such as voles and lizards also taken.

Has been observed taking items not normally taken by other birds such as poisonous seeds of Hemlock, unripe seeds, beetles with unpleasant taste or defensive chemicals and caterpillars with warning colouration.

Young are chiefly insectivorous, but as they grow they increase the proportion of plants eaten.