Little Bustard

About the Little Bustard

The little bustard (Tetrax tetrax) is a bird in the bustard family, the only member of the genus Tetrax. It breeds in Southern Europe and in Western and Central Asia. The little bustard was formally described in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae. He placed it with the other bustards in the genus Otis and coined the binomial name Otis tetrax. Linnaeus designated the type locality as Europe but this has been restricted to France. The little bustard is now placed in its own genus Tetrax that was introduced in 1817 by Thomas Forster. The species is considered to be monotypic: no subspecies are recognised. The genus name and the specific epithet tetrax is the Latin word for an unidentified gamebird.

Although the smallest Palearctic bustard, the little bustard is still pheasant-sized at 42–45 cm (17–18 in) long with a 90–110 cm (35–43 in) wingspan and a weight of 830 g (29 oz). In flight, the long wings are extensively white. The breeding male is brown above and white below, with a grey head and a black neck bordered above and below by white.

The female and non-breeding male lack the dramatic neck pattern... Wikipedia →