The African houbara, also known as the houbara bustard, is a relatively small bustard native to North Africa, where it lives in arid habitats. The global population is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 2014. There is a population in the Canary Islands which was assessed as Near Threatened in 2015, but has since also been assessed as Vulnerable.
Region
North Africa and Canary Islands
Typical Environment
Occurs from Western Sahara and Morocco east through Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya to Egypt (including the Sinai), with an isolated subspecies in the Canary Islands (notably Fuerteventura). It favors open semi-desert and stony plains with sparse shrubs and grasses. Birds also use dry wadis, fallow fields, and lightly grazed steppe. In the hottest periods they concentrate near areas with slightly higher vegetation cover or ephemeral green-up after rains.
Altitude Range
0–1500 m
Climate Zone
Arid
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 2/5
The African houbara is a desert-adapted bustard that relies on camouflage and stillness to avoid predators. Males perform striking courtship displays, raising black-and-white neck plumes and running with a puffed ‘ruff.’ It was long lumped with the Asian houbara but is now treated as a separate species. Main threats include hunting/trapping and habitat degradation, and targeted conservation actions occur in North Africa and the Canary Islands.
Canarian houbara in Lanzarote, Canary Islands
Houbara bustard egg in the collection of the Museum Wiesbaden
Temperament
wary and elusive
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats followed by glides; low, buoyant flight
Social Behavior
Usually solitary or in small loose groups outside the breeding season. Males court on display arenas with elaborate, running displays. Nests are shallow ground scrapes, typically with 1–3 eggs, and chicks are precocial. Pairs are generally dispersed across wide territories.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Generally quiet; males give low, bubbling coos and soft grunts during courtship. Displays may include audible wing-whirring and hissing notes at close range.
Plumage
Sandy-buff upperparts densely vermiculated with darker brown and pale streaking; clean whitish underparts. In display, the neck shows a conspicuous black-and-white ruff of elongated plumes. In flight, broad white wing coverts contrast with darker flight feathers.
Diet
Omnivorous, taking a wide range of invertebrates such as beetles, ants, and grasshoppers, along with seeds, buds, and green shoots. Opportunistically consumes small vertebrates like lizards or small rodents. Diet shifts seasonally, with more plant matter when invertebrates are scarce.
Preferred Environment
Forages on open, stony or sandy flats with scattered shrubs and short grasses. Often uses edges of wadis, fallow fields, and lightly grazed rangelands where cover and food are slightly denser.
