Those Bustards!

Nope, this is not a misspelling and yes, I am definitely using a fowl word. Bustards are considered in a lot circles to be the heaviest of all flying birds. There is more than one of kind of bustard, of course. The largest of the species are Kori Bustards and Great Bustards, and the smallest of the species are, naturally, the Little Brown Bustards. They are found in southern and central Europe, where they are the largest species of bird, and across temperate Asia. The European bustard populations are mainly resident, but the Asian birds migrate south in winter. Large males may weigh up to 44 lbs. but usually average between 30 and 35 lbs. This may not seem like much but try keeping that weight in the air for 2500 miles! A study revealed that bustards living in Mongolia traveled at least that great a distance to escape the harsh winters, where temperatures can go lower than 50 below zero. I would definitely want to “hot foot” it out of there when winter came on too! The biggest drawback for migration is the bustard’s body weight. In the bird world, most birds soar to conserve their energy which means they ride the wind on their wings. Migratory birds (other than these bustards) fly non-stop for days. The bustards, however, having such heavy bodies, have to flap their way south. Just the thought of that makes me tired. Of course, there are plenty of “rest” stops because the bustards would rather walk or run than fly. The frequent stops mean it takes longer to travel too. The treks that were studied ended up taking about 4 months. This makes me think of the old joke about why birds fly south in the winter because it’s too far to walk. I don’t know about you but when it comes to distance travel, I think I’d rather go by plane because that way my arms won’t get so tired. Poor bustards don’t have that option!