Little Bustard (Tetrax tetrax)

Measurements: 43cm long; male is heavier than female.

ID: Shape is distinctive, rather like a game bird with long legs. Male unmistakable. Flies with fast wing-beats, similar to style of Mallard.

It may not match the Great Bustard in appearance, but the Little Bustard is no slouch when it comes to displays. It has at least four of them, one only vocal – a short flatulent snort. In the half light of early dawn a ritual foot stamping is heard, as the feet beat alternately on the ground up to five times each. Another signal is a wing flash, a showing off of the white on the wing as it is beaten quickly; this display is accompanied by a swishing sound from the flight feathers. And finally and most stylishly, a male may combine the displays: it foot-stamps and then leaps into the air up to 1.5m high, flashing his wings as it does so, and snorting. Such a performance may well stir up a passing female’s juices, and copulation may take place without any further displays.

By https://www.flickr.com/photos/francesco_veronesi/ – https://www.flickr.com/photos/francesco_veronesi/14554056040/, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=36449204

From ‘Birds: A Complete Guide to All British and European Species’, by Dominic Couzens. Published by Collins and reproduced with permission.