NowHereBlow's video: Houbara Bustard The Asian Houbara Bustard Endangered Desert Bird

Endangered Birds..!!!! Houbara Bustard | The Asian Houbara Bustard ENDANGERED SPECIES IN THE DESERT Asian Houbara Bustard (Chlamydotis macqueenii ) is a member of the avian family Otididae commonly known as bustards.The Asian houbara bustard extends from Egypt east of the Nile to Mongolia and China inhabiting Afghanistan, Bahrain, China, Egypt, India, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, UAE, Uzbekistan and Yemen, in addition to vagrant occurrences in Nepal and some parts of Europe. The species is regionally extinct in Turkey . Biology and Ecology All across its range, houbara bustard prefers open and arid to semi-arid areas generally with sparse shrubby vegetation. This ground-dwelling bird avoids woody habitats, areas near human settlements and those with extensive vegetation cover. Houbara bustard measures 55–65 cm (22–26 in) in length and spans 135–170 cm (53–67 in) across the wings. The body mass is 1.15–2.4 kg (2.5–5.3 lb) in males and 1–1.7 kg (2.2–3.7 lb) in females. Houbara bustard is an opportunistic omnivore with food ranging from small seedlings, leaves and insects to small snakes, rodents or even small birds. These desert-adapted bustards do not drink water directly rather intake it through food such as succulent shoots and young seedlings.Female lays 3-4 eggs by digging a shallow scrape in the ground .These nests are vulnerable to predator attack for example by fox in the Nag Valley, Baluchistan. Parental care is exclusively provided by females; incubation lasts for 24 days and fledging for up to 35 days. Northern populations are migratory and winter in southern areas. Those from West-Kazakhstan mainly winter around Iraq-Iran border, while those from Central- and East-Kazakhstan winter in Afghanistan, Baluchistan, and a few reaching Thar Desert and South-Iran as well. Wintering grounds for Chinese houbara bustard populations are on the eastern edge of Karakum Desert in Turkmenistan and in Cholistan. Southern populations are largely sedentary and do not migrate up to long distances.The houbara bustard migrate to Sindh and Punjab to spend their winter. Arid and semi-arid areas of Baluchistan, Sindh and Punjab offer wintering grounds for immigrants from China, East- and Central-Kazakhstan, thus constituting the wintering houbara bustard population of Pakistan. Status The Asian houbara bustard is classified as “vulnerable” on the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) red list;  As per the Third Schedule of Baluchistan Wildlife Act (1974), “All Bustards” are listed as “Protected Animals”, i.e., animals which shall not be hunted, killed or captured. Threats Global population of Asian houbara bustard is estimated to lie between 78,960 and 97,000 individuals. The population is on decline by 26%-36% between 2000 and 2009, mainly owing to over-exploitation in the wintering grounds of the species . Principal threats include illegal trade and over-hunting by falconers. Falconry Falconry refers to hunting of wild animals by using a trained bird-of-prey such as falcon, eagle or hawk. Houbara bustards are targeted at two steps in this sport: first in the training of flacons and then being hunted down by these trained raptors, while trade is legally banned in Pakistan. Other Threats: Another serious threat is livestock grazing, resulting into loss of food and habitat degradation, in particular affecting nesting females.Human development activities such as farming, oil exploration, road building, mining, four-wheel drive vehicles and oil and water pipelines are also known to compound the existing threats. Significant impacts of the houbara bustard decline are evident from evolution of a change in the migration pattern of species and potential long-term effects on biodiversity resources as well as socio-economics of local human communities. Houbara bustard is an important part of the food chain. Species niches are intricately interwoven in any ecosystem and disturbance in any of these niches disturbs the overall ecological interaction of the community. Anticipated effects of decline in the houbaras are an increase in the number of animals at lower trophic levels including some nuisance species such as rodents acting as pests for crops. Special Thanks for the Content: Dr. Syeda Benish Ali Department of Biosciences, COMSATS Institute of Information Technology Islamabad, Pakistan Special Thanks to: Noushad Karalikonam, Shammas Shot on 14 April 2019 🎥 April 14, Friday - 2019 🕒 6:30 am - 11.30 am, 🌡 75 °F / 23 °C Gadgets: iPhone XS Max Canon 7D