Hartlaub's Bustard

Hartlaub Bustard ( male )

The Hartlaub Bustard ( Lissotis hartlaubii ), also referred to as Schwarzbürzeltrappe, is a species of bird in the bustard family. The specific epithet honors the German ornithologist Gustav Hartlaub.

Features

The male Hartlaub Trappe reached a size of 60 centimeters and a weight of 15 to 16 kg. The Hartlaub Trappe similar to the closely related Black Belly Bustard ( Lissotis melanogaster ), but it is marked gray and pronounced. The lower back, the rump and tail are black. In the female head and hind neck are cream to tan with dark brown markings. The belly is whitish and the tail is brighter than the male. The chicks are cream to tan in color with light and dark markings.

Occurrence

The distribution of Hartlaub Trappe extends from the eastern Sudan, Ethiopia to the north-western and southern Somalia, north-eastern Uganda, the north-western and southern Kenya to northern Tanzania.

Habitat

The Hartlaub Bustard inhabits open, high grasslands with scattered acacia trees at altitudes up to 1,600 meters. In Kenya, it comes in drier habitats than before the black belly Trappe. In Ethiopia, they preferred the passed with acacia savannah short grass, and get there before at altitudes up to 2,000 meters.

Way of life

The Hartlaub Bustard is usually site- faithful. However, observations of birds in the Serengeti have shown that they undertake January-February and September-October walks through the savannah. The main food of Hartlaub bustard consists of plants and invertebrates. In Ethiopia, the breeding activity was observed in April. In East Africa, the breeding season is during the rainy season in January and June, when the grass is at its highest.

System

The Hartlaub Trappe was described in 1863 by Theodor von Heuglin as Otis hartlaubii. Occasionally, it is placed in the genus Eupodotis.