Description
The male of this huge bird is possibly the heaviest living flying animal. It also arguably the most sexual dimorphic extant bird species, in terms of the size difference between males and females. Among both bustards and all living birds, the mass of this species is rivaled by that of the Kori Bustard, which, thanks to its relatively longer tarsi and tail, is both longer and taller on average and is less sexually dimorphic. A male is typically 90–105 cm (2 ft 10 in–3 ft 5 in) tall, with a length of around 115 cm (3 ft 9 in) and has a 2.1–2.7 m (6 ft 10 in–8 ft 10 in) wingspan. The male can range in weight from 5.8 to 18 kg (13 to 40 lb), with an average of 9.65 to 13.5 kg (21.3 to 30 lb). The heaviest verified specimen, collected in Manchuria, was about 21 kg (46 lb). In a recent study in Spain, another giant male tipped the scales at 19 kg (42 lb). Larger specimens have been reported but remain unverified.
The female is about a third smaller in linear dimensions, typically measuring 75 to 85 cm (2 ft 6 in to 2 ft 9 in) in height, about 90 cm (2 ft 11 in) in length and 180 cm (5 ft 11 in) across the wings. At an average of 4.4 kg (9.7 lb), the females are roughly one-third the weight of the male. Overall, the female's weight can range from 3.3 to 8 kg (7.3 to 18 lb). Perhaps because of this physical sexual dimorphism, there is a skewed sex ratio of about 1.5:1 female to male.
An adult male is brown above, barred with blackish coloration, and white below, with a long grey neck and head. His breast and lower neck sides are chestnut and there is a golden wash to the back and the extent of these bright colors tending to increase as the male ages. In the breeding season, the male has long white neck bristles, which measure up to 12–15 cm (4.7–5.9 in) in length, continually growing from the third to the sixth year of life. In flight, the long wings are predominantly white with brown showing along the edges of the lower primary and secondary feathers and a dark brown streak along the upper-edge of the wing. The breast and neck of the female are buff, with brown and pale coloration over the rest of the plumage rendering it well camouflaged in open habitats. Immature birds resemble the female. The Eastern subspecies (O. t. dybowskii) is more extensively gray in color in both sexes, with more extensive barring on the back. The Great Bustard has long legs, a long neck and a heavy, barrel-chested body. It is fairly typical of the family in its overall shape and habitat preferences. Three other bustard species overlap in range with this species: the Macqueen's, Houbara and Little Bustards. However, none of these attain the huge sizes, bulky form and plumage coloration of this species. Thus, the Great Bustard is essentially unmistakable.
Among standard measurements in the Eastern race, males have a wing chord length of 59.5 to 63.5 cm (23.4 to 25.0 in), a tail of 21 to 23.5 cm (8.3 to 9.3 in), a tarsus of 14.2 to 15 cm (5.6 to 5.9 in) and a exposed culmen of 4.1 to 4.7 cm (1.6 to 1.9 in). In comparison, the Eastern female measures 45.5 to 49.5 cm (17.9 to 19.5 in) across the wing chord, has a tail of 17.8 to 21 cm (7.0 to 8.3 in), a tarsus of 11.3 to 12.6 cm (4.4 to 5.0 in) and a culmen of 3.5 to 4 cm (1.4 to 1.6 in), respectively. Standard measurements indicate the nominate subspecies is slightly larger than the Eastern subspecies, in adult males, culmen length is to 9.8 cm (3.9 in), wing chord length to 69 cm (27 in), tail length to 29.5 cm (11.6 in) and tarsal length to 22 cm (8.7 in).
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