Bustards are birds in the family Otididae in the monotypic order Otidiformes. There are currently 26 extant species of bustards recognised by the International Ornithologists' Union.[1] Many species of fossil bustards are known from the Miocene onwards; however, their exact number and taxonomy are unsettled due to ongoing discoveries.[2]
Conservation status | |
---|---|
EX | Extinct (0 species) |
EW | Extinct in the wild (0 species) |
CR | Critically Endangered (3 species) |
EN | Endangered (1 species) |
VU | Vulnerable (4 species) |
NT | Near threatened (7 species) |
LC | Least concern (11 species) |
Conservation status codes listed follow the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. Range maps are provided wherever possible; if a range map is not available, a description of the bustard's range is provided. Ranges are based on the IOC World Bird List for that species unless otherwise noted. Population estimates are of the number of mature individuals and are taken from the IUCN Red List.
This list follows the taxonomic treatment (designation and order of species) and nomenclature (scientific and common names) of version 13.2 of the IOC World Bird List.[1] Where the taxonomy proposed by the IOC World Bird List conflicts with the taxonomy followed by the IUCN[a] or the 2023 edition of The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World,[4] the disagreement is noted next to the species's common name (for nomenclatural disagreements) or scientific name (for taxonomic disagreements).
The International Ornithologists' Union (IOU) recognises 26 species of bustards in twelve genera. This list does not include hybrid species, extinct prehistoric species, or putative species not yet accepted by the IOU.
Family Otididae
Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | IUCN status and estimated population |
---|---|---|---|
Great bustard | O. tarda Linnaeus, 1758 Two subspecies
|
Palearctic |
VU
|
Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | IUCN status and estimated population |
---|---|---|---|
Arabian bustard | A. arabs (Linnaeus, 1758) Four subspecies
|
Africa and Middle East | NT
|
Kori bustard | A. kori (Burchell, 1822) Two subspecies
|
Africa | NT
|
Great Indian bustard | A. nigriceps (Vigors, 1831) |
India |
CR
|
Australian bustard | A. australis (Gray, J. E., 1829) |
Australia and New Guinea | LC
|
Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | IUCN status and estimated population |
---|---|---|---|
Houbara bustard | C. undulata (Jacquin, 1784) Two subspecies
|
North Africa |
VU
|
Macqueen's bustard | C. macqueenii (Gray, J. E., 1832) |
Asia |
VU
|
Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | IUCN status and estimated population |
---|---|---|---|
Ludwig's bustard | N. ludwigii (Rüppell, 1837) |
Southern Africa | EN
|
Denham's bustard | N. denhami (Children and Vigors, 1826) Three subspecies
|
Africa |
NT
|
Heuglin's bustard | N. heuglinii (Hartlaub, 1859) |
East Africa | LC
|
Nubian bustard | N. nuba (Cretzschmar, 1826) |
Africa | NT
|
Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | IUCN status and estimated population |
---|---|---|---|
White-bellied bustard | E. senegalensis (Vieillot, 1821) Five subspecies
|
Africa | LC
|
Blue korhaan | E. caerulescens (Vieillot, 1821) |
South Africa and Lesotho | NT
|
Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | IUCN status and estimated population |
---|---|---|---|
Karoo korhaan | H. vigorsii (Smith, A., 1831) Two subspecies
|
Africa | LC
|
Rüppell's korhaan | H. rueppelii (Wahlberg, 1856) Two subspecies
|
Namibia and Angola | LC
|
Little brown bustard
|
H. humilis (Blyth, 1855) |
Ethiopia and Somalia | NT
|
Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | IUCN status and estimated population |
---|---|---|---|
Savile's bustard | L. savilei Lynes, 1920 |
Africa |
LC
|
Buff-crested bustard | L. gindiana (Oustalet, 1881) |
East Africa |
LC
|
Red-crested korhaan | L. ruficrista (Smith, A., 1836) |
Southern Africa |
LC
|
Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | IUCN status and estimated population |
---|---|---|---|
Southern black korhaan | A. afra (Linnaeus, 1758) |
South Africa | VU
|
Northern black korhaan | A. afraoides (Smith, A., 1831) Three subspecies
|
Southern Africa | LC
|
Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | IUCN status and estimated population |
---|---|---|---|
Black-bellied bustard | L. melanogaster (Rüppell, 1835) Two subspecies
|
Africa |
LC
|
Hartlaub's bustard | L. hartlaubii (Heuglin, 1863) |
East Africa | LC
|
Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | IUCN status and estimated population |
---|---|---|---|
Bengal florican | H. bengalensis (Müller, P. L. S., 1776) Two subspecies
|
Southeast Asia and northeastern South Asia |
CR
|
Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | IUCN status and estimated population |
---|---|---|---|
Lesser florican | S. indicus (Miller, J. F., 1782) |
India |
CR
|
Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | IUCN status and estimated population |
---|---|---|---|
Little bustard | T. tetrax (Linnaeus, 1758) |
Palearctic of Asia, Europe, and North Africa |
NT
|