Chlamydotis Macqueenii
Chlamydotis Macqueenii is the scientific name of Hourbara Bustard. These birds are the pride of UAE and now the number of our pride is decreasing drastically. Let’s join hand together and save the fauna of our land for a better geological and environmental future.
Asian Houbara (Chlamydotis Macqueenii) Houbara bustards are large-bodied birds with long legs and a slender neck. The upper body is speckled, sandy brown and the underside is creamy white. The male has long, black feathers around the back of his neck, and white feathers on the front, lower neck. Wide bands of distinct black and white occur on the wings and the square tail is sandy-brown with four distinct black bars. With a wingspan of up to 1.5 meters, males weigh an average of 2.2 kilos while females weigh an average of 1.2 kilos. Asian and North African Houbara differ by subtle variations of back colorations, and extant of black and white feathers on neck and crest. Previously considered as one species, the Houbara Bustard has been split into two distinct species on the basis of genetic, morphologic, geographic and behavioral criteria: The Asian Houbara (Chlamydotis macqueenii ) or MacQueen’s Bustard The North African Houbara (Chlamydotis undulata )
Houbara bustards inhabit large open landscapes from the huge steppes of Central Asia to remote, semi-arid regions of sand and stone desert with sparse plant life. The bird’s speckled appearance is a perfect camouflage in its natural habitat making it almost invisible, when motionless. The Asian Houbara bustard has a wide distribution range from the Arabian Peninsula and Pakistan, India in the south, all the way through Central Asia up to Mongolia. Asian Houbara populations breeding in spring in Central Asia migrate south in autumn to spend winters in the warmest parts of their range (Arabian Peninsula, Pakistan). In early spring, they migrate back to their breeding sites of China, Kazakhstan. Some Asian Houbara are resident and breed in the southern part of the range (Arabian Peninsula, Iran). The Houbara bustard spends most of its time on the ground foraging for food. It is omnivorous and opportunistic; its diet consisting of plants, seeds, insects, spiders, small rodents and lizards. Adaption to its arid habitat enables the Houbara to obtain enough of its fluid from food and it seldom needs to drink water. Houbara feed mostly at sunrise or dusk. Adult birds are mainly solitary, but can forage in small groups according to the period of the year.
The male Houbara bustard performs extravagant displaying behavior on a site he will use year after year, fluffing out the neck feathers and throwing his head back so that it is almost hidden inside a large ruff of black and white while he struts swiftly in a straight line or circle. The female visits one display site just for mating, and then leaves to another area where she will lay her eggs. She makes a shallow hollow, a ‘scrape’, in the open ground where she lays one to six eggs, but more generally three to four. The male takes no part in egg incubation which lasts 23 days, or in rearing or defending the youth. His only contribution to breeding is by mating with the female. The greatest threats to the Houbara bustard are from poaching, unregulated hunting, habitat loss through development and agriculture, and habitat degradation through overgrazing.
Who Are We The International Fund was established to maintain the Houbara in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates in 2006. The Fund oversees an international network of initiatives aimed at preserving the Houbara and increase its numbers around the world management.
Address: 129 555, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Phone: +971 2 4455 693 Fax: +971 2 7287 499 Email: info@houbara-fund.ae
For More Information Please Visit: http://www.houbarafund.org/ar/home