Great Indian bustard
Scientific name: Ardeotis nigriceps (Vigors, 1831)
Overview
The great Indian bustard or Indian bustard is a bustard occurring on the Indian subcontinent. It is a large bird with a horizontal body, long bare legs and is among the heaviest of the flying birds. Once common on the dry grasslands and shrubland in India, as few as 150 individuals were estimated to survive as of 2018, reduced from an estimated 250 individuals in 2011. It is critically endangered due to hunting and habitat loss. It is protected under the Indian Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
From the Wikipedia article “Great Indian bustard”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Conservation status
Critically endangered on the IUCN Red List, as recorded on Wikidata, citing The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021.3.
Size and lifespan
| Measurement | Value |
|---|---|
| Birth weight | 145 g |
Source: Wikidata, citing “AVIAN BODY SIZES IN RELATION TO FECUNDITY, MATING SYSTEM, DISPLAY BEHAVIOR, AND RESOURCE SHARING”, article by Terje Lislevand et al published June 2007 in Ecology.
Where it lives
The Catalogue of Life records it in: Southern Asia.
Common names
Also known in English as Indian Bustard.
Names in other languages (12)
- Arabic
- حبارى هندية عملاقة
- Bengali
- গ্রেট ইন্ডিয়ান বাস্টার্ড
- Chinese
- 南亞鴇
- French
- Outarde à tête noire
- German
- Hindutrappe, Kappentrappe
- Hindi
- गोडावण
- Japanese
- インドオオノガン
- Persian
- هوبره هندی بزرگ
- Portuguese
- abetarda-indiana
- Russian
- Индийская большая дрофа
- Spanish
- Avutarda india, Avutarda Índica
- Urdu
- تغدر
Related animals
Sources
-
Catalogue of Life — scientific name, classification, common names and range.
Version 2026-09-11, CC BY 4.0.
This species in the Catalogue of Life.
Citation
Bánki, O., Roskov, Y., Döring, M., Ower, G., Hernández Robles, D. R., Plata Corredor, C. A., Stjernegaard Jeppesen, T., Örn, A., Pape, T., Hobern, D., Garnett, S., Little, H., DeWalt, R. E., Miller, J., Orrell, T., Aalbu, R., Abbott, J., Aedo, C., Aescht, E., et al. (2026). Catalogue of Life (Version 2026-09-11). Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgz5n Source database: The Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
- GBIF — species page and recorded occurrences.
- Wikidata — conservation status, measurements, names in other languages. Q864359, CC0 1.0.
- Wikipedia — overview, from the article “Great Indian bustard”, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Photo — Original: SVKMBFLY; this edit: MPF, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. File page.
- Range map — L. Shyamal, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. File page.
Last updated: 4 October 2026