Mystery Bird: White-bellied bustard, Eupodotis senegalensis

This lovely little African mystery bird has a much larger cousin that was endemic to Great BritainImmature white-bellied bustard, Eupodotis senegalensis (formerly Neotis cafra and Otis cafra), this bird also goes by a variety of common names including barrow's bustard, Senegal bustard and the white-bellied korhaan. This bird was photographed from a hot-air balloon in Seregeti National Park, Tanzania. Image: Dan Logen, 19 January 2010 (look at this bird with binoculars).Nikon D300, 200-400mm lens at 400 ISO 1250, f/6.3, 1/640 sec.Question: This lovely little African mystery bird has a much larger cousin that was endemic to Great Britain. Can you name this species and its British cousin?Response: This is an immature white-bellied bustard, Eupodotis senegalensis. Its British cousin is the great bustard, Otis tarda, which is depicted in the design of the west Wiltshire coat of arms. The great bustard was hunted out of existence by the 1840s. If you...

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