White-bellied bustard

White-bellied bustard
	Male calling at Maasai Mara, Kenya
Conservation status
	; Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Otidiformes
Family:	Otididae
Genus:	Eupodotis
Species:	E. senegalensis
Binomial name
	Eupodotis senegalensis; (Vieillot, 1820)
Synonyms
	Eupodotis barrowii; Eupodotis caffra

The white-bellied bustard or white-bellied korhaan (Eupodotis senegalensis) is an African species of bustard. It is widespread in sub-Saharan Africa in grassland and open woodland habitats.[2]

Description

E. s. canicollis, male, Sweetwaters Game Reserve, Kenya

Male from Maasai Mara, Kenya

E. s. erlangeri, female, Serengeti, Tanzania

E. s. erlangeri, male, Serengeti, Tanzania

It is rather small for a bustard, 48 to 61 centimetres (19 to 24 in) long. All are tawny brown above and on the breast and white on the belly, with cream-coloured legs; juveniles have light brown necks and heads, and adults have blue-grey necks. The adult female has a grey crown, a brown and buff line below the eye, and black speckling on the throat. The adult male has a black crown, black lines on the white cheeks, a black throat patch, and a pinkish-red bill. The call, often given in the early morning and late evening, has been described as "a very loud, guttural k'whuka WHUKa, k'wuka WHUKa..., or k'warrak, k'warrak...[3]

This species is usually seen in pairs or family groups, as young stay with their parents much longer than those of other bustards in the region.[3]

Subspecies

Five subspecies are recognized:[4]

E. s. senegalensis (Vieillot, 1820) – southwestern Mauritania and Guinea, east to Central African Republic, central Sudan, and perhaps Eritrea (Senegal bustard)
E. s. canicollis (Reichenow, 1881) – Ethiopia south to northeastern Tanzania
E. s. erlangeri (Reichenow, 1905) – southern Kenya and western Tanzania
E. s. mackenziei C.M.N. White, 1945 – eastern Gabon and central Democratic Republic of the Congo to Zambia, Angola and northern Namibia
E. s. barrowii (J.E. Gray, 1829, sometimes considered a distinct species) – Botswana, South Africa, Swaziland and Lesotho (Barrow's korhaan)

References

BirdLife International (2012). "Eupodotis senegalensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2013.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)old-form url
Sibley, Charles G.; Monroe, Burt L. Jr. (1990), Distribution and Taxonomy of Birds of the World, Yale University Press, p. 217, ISBN 0-300-04969-2, retrieved 2010-03-24
Zimmerman, Dale A.; Turner, Donald A.; Pearson, David J. (1999), Birds of Kenya and Northern Tanzania, Princeton University Press, pp. 76–77, 328, ISBN 0-691-01022-6
White-bellied Bustard, Internet Bird Collection

White-bellied bustard, Birdlife International

External links

White-bellied bustard - Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds

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[1] BirdLife International (2012). "Eupodotis senegalensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2013.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)old-form url

[2] Sibley, Charles G.; Monroe, Burt L. Jr. (1990), Distribution and Taxonomy of Birds of the World, Yale University Press, p. 217, ISBN 0-300-04969-2, retrieved 2010-03-24

[ZTP-3] Zimmerman, Dale A.; Turner, Donald A.; Pearson, David J. (1999), Birds of Kenya and Northern Tanzania, Princeton University Press, pp. 76–77, 328, ISBN 0-691-01022-6

[4] White-bellied Bustard, Internet Bird Collection