Bustard

busterd, a family of game birds, somewhat resembling the turkey in appearance, but classified between the plover and the crane. There are several species, found throughout Africa, about the Mediterranean, and eastward in southern Asia, as far as Japan. The common bustard ranges along the northern shore of the Mediterranean and as far east as the open steppes of Tartary. It haunts inland plains and desert regions. It has strong, naked legs and feet and is a good flyer. It is a handsome bird with ornamental chestnut plumage, varied with black and white, and is not unlike a grouse in habits. The great bustard attains a weight of thirty pounds. An allied species is the so-called wild turkey of New South Wales. Bustards were at one time numerous in Yorkshire and on Salisbury Plain, but the last English birds were seen about 1838.