Bird of the day
Savile's bustard
Lophotis savilei
Savile's bustard (Lophotis savilei) is a species of bird in the family Otididae. Otididae are an Old-World and understudied family of birds mostly found in Afro-Tropical regions. It is found in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, and Sudan.
Adults have short thin necks and legs, with a large head. The top of head and lower fore-neck are grey with a black streak centrally located on the chin and a small white shoulder strap on each side of the base neck. The upper parts of the bird are pale with black streaks and arrowhead markings. Bill is yellowish, the culmen brownish, the iris pale clayey specked with feet a yellowish clayey colour. Wings are 10 inches 10 inches (25 cm) and tail approximately 5 inches (13 cm). The terminal thirds of their feathers are pale beige which creates a visual distinction between their quills and the rest of the upper parts. Flight feathers are blackish with slender beige bars and the tips black. Males have completely black underparts and show a tuft of rufous feathers on their nape during display. Females look visually similar to males however, lack the blue-grey and black markings on their head. Females have a white throat and the black underparts restricted to the belly.
Aliases
Lophotis savilei, Savile’s bustard
Range
