Macqueen’s bustard is a member of the ‘Gruiformes’. It has a medium/big body with fairly long neck and legs, and a hard flat beak. It is similar to the turkey and has a bunch of black and white feathers hanging around its neck. This bird is one of the most beautiful and glorious bird that is compatible to a desert environment. Its body color and plumage is so perfect that it can hide perfectly in the desert area. Lower part of its feet is of a special form that let the bird run very fast, easily and quietly. Most of the times, bustards hide and run very fast when they feel danger and don’t usually fly. In the breeding season, they are seen in pairs and other times live in groups. Their habitats are the – sandy lands and sandy foothills, desert and central parts of country with sporadic bushes and short grasslands, and near wheat fields. Bustards make their home on the ground. They feed on fruits, seeds, grains, and leaves. They also eat farm grains like beans, peas, alfalfa, and mustard. Their summer and spring food is mostly invertebrates like grasshopper, beetle, mantis, termite, worms, ants, scorpions, and spiders. This bustard shoots its droppings as balls toward the enemy when it feels danger, and if they hit a bird, it can’t fly. Cleaning the sticky dropping is also very difficult. Macqueen’s bustard is well supported, but because of their habitat destruction, trafficking to countries of the Persian Gulf and indiscriminate hunting, its population decreases dramatically. In IUCN list, Macqueen’s bustard are considered as vulnerable species. It is seen in plains of the region and near salt hill and Kalut Chahmil, and it sometimes propagates there.
[foogallery id=”368″]