Data Zone
Abdulkarimi, R. 2022. The Great Bustard Otis tarda tarda is faced with extinction in Iran. Sandgrouse 44: 14-18.
Alonso, J.C. 2014. The Great Bustard: past, present and future of a globally threatened species. Ornis Hungarica 22(2): 1-13.
Alonso, J.C. and Palacín, C. 2010. The world status and population trends of the Great Bustard (Otis tarda): 2010 update. Chinese Birds 1(2): 141-147.
Alonso, J.C. and Palacín, C. 2022. Alarming decline of the Great Bustard Otis tarda world population over the last two decades. Bird Conservation International 32(4): 523-530.
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Alonso, J.C., Palacin, C., Onrubia, A., Abouloaufae, R., Amezian, M., El Idrissi Essougrati, A., El Khamlichi, R. and Noaman, M. 2016a. Alarming decline and range reduction of the highly threatened Great Bustard Otis tarda in Morocco. Ostrich 87: 277-280.
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Barrientos, R., Ponce, C., Palacín, C., Martín, C.A., Martín, B. and Alonso, J.C. 2012. Wire marking results in a small but significant reduction in avian mortality, a BACI designed study. PLoS One 7(e32569).
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CMS. 2023. Fifth Meeting of Signatories (MOS5) of the Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation and Management of the Middle-European Population of the Great Bustard (Otis tarda). Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals. Available at: https://www.cms.int/en/node/24388.
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Goroshko O.A. 2002. Состояние и охрана популяций журавлей и дроф в юго-восточном Забайкалье и сопредельных районах Монголии [Status and conservation of cranes and Great Bustard populations in southeastern Zabaikal’e and adjacent regions of Mongolia.]. PhD Dissertation. Russian National Scientific Research Institute of Nature Protection of the Ministry of Natural Resources.
Goroshko O.A. 2008. Данные по биологии восточного подвида дрофы (Otis tarda dybowskii) в Даурии [Data on the biology of the eastern subspecies of Great Bustard in Dauria]. In: Spitsin, V.V. (ed.), Дрофиные Птицы Палеарктики: Разведение и Охрана [Palearctic Bustards: Breeding and Conservation], pp. 130–142. Московский зоопарк [Moscow Zoo], Moscow, Russia.
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Gubin, B.M. 2007. Дрофа [Great Bustard]. In: Rustamov, A.K. and Kovshar’, A.F. (eds), Птицы Средней Азии, Том 1 [Birds of Central Asia, Vol. 1], pp. 387–391. Союз охраны птиц Казахстана [Bird Protection Society of Kazakhstan], Almaty, Kazakhstan.
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IUCN; HCEFLCD. 2016. Conservation Strategy and Action Plan for the Great Bustard (Otis tarda) in Morocco 2016-2025. UCN/HCEFLD, Malaga, Spain.
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Karakaş, R. and Akarsu, F. 2009. Recent status and distribution of the Great Bustard, Otis tarda, in Turkey. Zoology in the Middle East 48: 25-34.
Kashkarov, R.D., Mitropolskaya, Y.O. and Ten, A.G. 2022. The historical and current status of the Great Bustard Otis tarda tarda in Uzbekistan, a key winter refuge. Sandgrouse 44: 26-34.
Kashkarov, R.D., Ten, A., Mitropolskaya, Y.O. and Soldatov, V. 2023. Changes in the modern range of the Great Bustard Otis tarda in Uzbekistan under the influence of agricultural transformation of landscapes and climate. Geography, Environment & Sustainability 16(1): 140-149.
Keller, V., Herrando, S., Voříšek, P., Franch, M., Kipson, M., Milanesi, P., Martí, D., Anton, M., Klvaňová, A., Kalyakin, M.V., Bauer, H.-G. and Foppen, R.P.B. 2020. European Breeding Bird Atlas 2: Distribution, Abundance and Change. European Bird Census Council & Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.
Kessler, A.E. 2015. Asian Great Bustards: from conservation biology to sustainable grassland development. Arizona State University, Tempe, USA.
Kessler, A.E. and Smith, A.T. 2014. The Status of the Great Bustard (Otis tarda tarda) in Central Asia: from the Caspian Sea to the Altai. Aquila 121: 115-132.
Kessler, A.E., Batbayar, N., Natsagdorj, T., Batsuur’, D. and Smith, A.T. 2013. Satellite telemetry reveals long-distance migration in the Asian great bustard Otis tarda dybowskii. Journal of Avian Biology 44: 311-320.
Kessler, M. 2016. Современный статус дрофы в центральной азии и шаги к ее сохранению [Modern status of the Great Bustard in Central Asia and the steps for its preservation]. Степной Бюллетень [Steppe Bulletin] 46: 61-69.
Kessler, M. 2021. One-third of Crimea’s Great Bustard population poisoned. Available at: http://eurasianbustardalliance.org/archives/6387.
Kessler, M. 2022. Status of the Western Great Bustard Otis tarda tarda in Asia and its significance to an updated estimate of the global population of Great Bustards. Sandgrouse 44(1): 6-12.
Kessler, M. and Batbayar, N., eds. 2023. Revised Action Plan for the Great Bustard in Asia. UNEP/CMS/COP14/Doc.28.5.3/Annex.
Kessler, M. and Collar, N.J. 2022. Proceedings of the International Conference ‘Advancing the Conservation of the Great Bustard in Asia’: Editors’ preface. Sandgrouse 44(1): 3-5.
Kessler, M.K. and Bidashko, F.G. 2022. The historically abundant Great Bustard Otis tarda tarda is almost extirpated from western Kazakhstan. Sandgrouse 44: 35-39.
Kollar, H.P. 1996. Action plan for the Great Bustard (Otis tarda). In: Heredia, B.; Rose, L.; Painter, M. (ed.), Globally threatened birds in Europe: action plans, pp. 245-260. Council of Europe, and BirdLife International, Strasbourg.
Kornev, S.V. and Gavlyuk, J.V. 2019. Great Bustard. In: Belov, V.S. (ed.), Red Book of Orenburg Oblast’, pp. 147–148. MIR, Orenburg.
Koshkin, M., Timoshenko, A. and Salemgareev, A. 2022. The diminished status of the Great Bustard Otis tarda tarda in central Kazakhstan. Sandgrouse 44: 40-43.
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Kulagin, S.V. 2022. Status of the Great Bustard Otis tarda tarda in Kyrgyzstan. Sandgrouse 44: 83-85.
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Liu, Y.Y., Evans, J.P., McCabe, M.F., de Jeu, R.A., van Dijk, A.I., Dolman, A.J. and Saizen, I. 2013. Changing climate and overgrazing are decimating Mongolian steppes. PloS one 8(2): e57599.
Magaña, M., Alonso, J.C., Martín, C.A., Bautista, L.M. and Martín, B. 2010. Nest-site selection by Great Bustards Otis tarda suggests a trade-off between concealment and visibility. Ibis 152(1): 77-89.
Malkov, E.J. 2012. Состояние редких видов птиц на проектируемой ООПТ «Истоки Амура» [The status of rare bird species in the projected protected area ‘Amur Headwaters’]. Растительный и животный мир трансграничной особо охраняемой территории: Труды Сохондинского заповедника 5(2012): 22–38.
Martin, C.A., Alonso, J.C., Morales, M.B. and Lane, S.J. 2001. Seasonal movements of male Great Bustards in central Spain. Journal of Field Ornithology 72: 504-508.
Martín, C.A., Martínez, C., Bautista, L.M. and Martín, B. 2012. Population increase of the Great Bustard Otis tarda in its main distribution area in relation to changes in farming practices. Ardeola 59: 31-42.
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Morales, M.B., Alonso, J.C., Alonso, J.A. and Martín, E. 2000. Migration patterns in male great bustards (Otis tarda). Auk 117: 493-498.
Muratov, R.S. and Talbonov, K.M. 2022. The near-extirpation of the Great Bustard Otis tarda tarda as a wintering and breeding species in Tajikistan. Sandgrouse 44: 80-82.
Naderi, M. 2017. Action Plan for the Great Bustard in Iran. Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran.
Nagy, S. 2009. International single species action plan for the Western Palearctic population of Great Bustard, Otis tarda tarda. BirdLife International on behlaf of the European Commission.
Nagy, S. 2018. International single species action plan for the Western Palearctic population of Great Bustard, Otis tarda tarda. Version adapted for the Memorandum of Understanding on the conservation and management of the Middle-European population of the Great Bustard (Otis tarda).
Nefedov, A.A. 2022. The urgent need for a transboundary steppe sanctuary to secure the last Great Bustard Otis tarda tarda populations in western Siberia and northern Kazakhstan. Sandgrouse 44: 86-96.
Oparin, M.L. and Oparina, O.S. 2020. The current state of the nominate subspecies of Great Bustard in Russia and the problems of its conservation. Proceedings of the Russian Geographical Society 21: 52–59.
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Palacín, C., Alonso, J.C., Alonso, J.A., Martín, C.A. and Magaña, M. 2011. Cultural transmission and flexibility of partial migration patterns in a long-lived bird, the Great Bustard Otis tarda. Journal of Avian Biology 42: 301–308.
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Palacín, C., Martín, B., Onrubia, A. and Alonso, J.C. 2016. Assessing the extinction risk of the great bustard Otis tarda in Africa. Endangered Species Research 30: 73-82.
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Raab, R., Schütz, C., Spakovszky, P., Julius, E. and Schulze, C.H. 2014. Optimising the attractiveness of winter oilseed rape fields as foraging habitat for the West Pannonian Great Bustard Otis tarda population during winter. Bird Conservation International 25(3): 366-376.
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Rocha, P., Morales, M.B. and Moreira, F. 2013. Nest site habitat selection and nesting performance of the Great Bustard Otis tarda in southern Portugal: implications for conservation. Bird Conservation International 23(3): 323-336.
Rustamov, E.A. 2022. The Great Bustard Otis tarda tarda is Critically Endangered in Turkmenistan. Sandgrouse 44: 19-25.
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Silva, J., Marques, A., Bernardino, J., Allinson, T., Andryushchenko, Y., Dutta, S., . . . Collar, N. 2023. The effects of powerlines on bustards: how best to mitigate, how best to monitor? . Bird Conservation International 33(E30).
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Stubbs, E. 2020. Great British bustards. Birdwatch.
Torres, A., Palacín, C., Seoane, J. and Alonso, J.C. 2011. Assessing the effects of a highway on a threatened species using before–during–after and before–during–after-control–impact designs. Biological Conservation 144: 2223-2232.
Vadász, C. and Lóránt, M. 2015. Key mortality causes of the Great Bustard (Otis tarda) in Central Hungary: An analysis of known fatalities. Ornis Hungarica 22: 32–41.
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IUCN SSC Bustard Specialist Group
Action Plan for the Great Bustard in Europe
Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) Memorandum of Understanding and Conservation Plan
Detailed species account from European Red List of Birds (BirdLife International 2015)
Search for photos and videos, and hear sounds of this species from the Macaulay Library
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Great Bustard Otis tarda. Downloaded from
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Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2024) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from
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