The Nubian bustard is a species of bird in the bustard family. This is a medium-large bustard, found in the sparsely vegetated interface between the southern margins of the Sahara desert and the northern part of the Sahel. It is found in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, and Sudan. Its natural habitats are dry savanna and subtropical or tropical dry shrubland. Formerly common in this region, it is now very rare, with populations declining due to hunting and habitat degradation.
Region
Sahel and southern Sahara
Typical Environment
Occurs patchily from Mauritania and Mali east through Niger, Chad, and Sudan to northern Cameroon, Nigeria, and Burkina Faso. It favors semi-desert grasslands, dry savannas, and sparsely vegetated acacia shrublands, often near wadis and seasonal pans. Birds shift locally after rains to exploit fresh growth and insect blooms. It avoids dense vegetation and prefers wide, open vistas with low cover. Agricultural edges and fallow fields are used where disturbance is limited.
Altitude Range
0–1500 m
Climate Zone
Arid
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The Nubian bustard is a wary, ground-dwelling bird of the Sahel that relies on camouflage and stealth more than flight to avoid danger. It follows seasonal rains, concentrating where grasses and insects flush after showers. Hunting and habitat degradation have caused marked declines across its range. As with many bustards, collisions and disturbance can also impact local populations.
Temperament
wary and secretive
Flight Pattern
powerful but reluctant flier with steady, shallow wingbeats
Social Behavior
Usually solitary or in pairs; small loose groups may form after rains where resources concentrate. Males perform ground displays on open leks, with upright posture and puffed neck feathers. Nests are simple scrapes on the ground with 1–2 eggs; the female incubates and tends the young, which are precocial.
Migratory Pattern
Partial migrant
Song Description
Mostly quiet, but males give low booming notes and gruff croaks during display, especially at dawn and dusk. Contact calls are soft clucks and grunts, easily missed beyond close range.
Plumage
Sandy-buff upperparts finely barred and vermiculated with dark brown; underparts paler to whitish with subtle mottling. The neck is greyish to sandy with a cleaner throat, and the crown darker with a pale supercilium. In flight, dark flight feathers contrast with a paler wing panel and barred tail.
Diet
An opportunistic feeder taking large insects such as locusts and beetles, as well as seeds, shoots, and bulbs. Will also consume small vertebrates like lizards when available. Diet shifts seasonally, with higher insect intake following rains and more plant matter in drier periods. Forages by walking steadily and pecking items from the ground.
Preferred Environment
Feeds in open semi-desert plains, short-grass savannas, and lightly grazed pastoral land. Uses field margins, fallow plots, and the edges of acacia scrub where visibility is high. Often concentrates near recently rained-on areas with fresh growth.
