| Black-bellied bustard | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Male | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Otidiformes |
| Family: | Otididae |
| Genus: | Lissotis |
| Species: | L. melanogaster |
| Binomial name | |
| Lissotis melanogaster (Rüppell, 1835) | |
 | |
| resident range | |
The black-bellied bustard (Lissotis melanogaster), also known as the black-bellied korhaan, is an African ground-dwelling bird in the bustard family.
The black-bellied bustard is 58–65 cm (23–26 in) long. The bill and legs are dull yellow. The male's upperparts have black and brown marks on a tawny buff background; the underparts are black. The head is boldly patterned with black, white and buff. The neck, long and thin for a bustard, is buffy brown with a thin black line down the front that joins the black breast. The tail is brown and buff with four or five narrow dark brown bands. The upper surface of the wings is white with a brown triangle at the base; the flight feathers have black tips except for the outer secondary feathers. The white of the wings is visible when the bird stands, contrasting with the black underparts. [3]
The female is plain buff, cryptically marked with darker brown mottling on the back and vermiculation (narrow wavy bands) on the neck and breast. The juvenile is duller and darker, with a dark grey crown and buff spots on the wing. The neck and rump patterns of both sexes, the male's white chin and lores, and the female's vermiculations are points that distinguish this species from its close relative, Hartlaub's bustard. [3]
It is found in savanna, cultivated fields and tall open grassland in sub-Saharan Africa. [1] This species is also found in the areas of S. Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana and some areas of Tanzania and Nigeria. It prefers higher rainfall than Hartlaub's bustard and in many areas occurs only following heavy rain. [3]
In feeding habits it resembles other bustards. In courtship display the male retracts his head to his back, giving "a short rising wheezy whistle, zhweeeeee", pauses in that position, and slowly raises his head, giving "a popping quock or plop followed by soft gurgling". [3]
This is an omnivorous bird mainly feeding on invertebrates like beetles, grasshopper, cockroach, ants and some other small insects. Their diet also includes some vegetables, fruits like berries, flowers, seeds and green leaves.
The pin-tailed sandgrouse is a medium large bird in the sandgrouse family. It has a small, pigeon-like head and neck and a sturdy, compact body. It has long pointed wings, which are white underneath, a long tail and a fast direct flight. Flocks fly to watering holes at dawn. The call is a loud kattar-kattar. This gregarious species breeds on dry open treeless plains and similar habitats. Its nest is a ground scrape into which two or three cream-coloured eggs with cryptic markings are laid. Both sexes incubate the eggs.
The kori bustard is the largest flying bird native to Africa. It is a member of the bustard family, which all belong to the order Otidiformes and are restricted in distribution to the Old World. It is one of the four species in the large-bodied genus Ardeotis. In fact, the male kori bustard may be the heaviest living animal capable of flight.
The yellow-legged buttonquail is a buttonquail, one of a small family of birds which resemble, but are unrelated to, the true quails. This family is peculiar in that the females are larger and more colourful than the males and are polyandrous.
The chestnut-bellied sandgrouse or common sandgrouse is a species of sandgrouse. It is a sedentary and nomadic species that ranges from northern and central Africa and further east towards western and southern Asia. There are six recognised subspecies.
The red-and-yellow barbet is a species of African barbet found in eastern Africa. Males have distinctive black, red, and yellow plumage; females and juveniles are similar, but less brightly colored. The species lives in broken terrain and nests and roosts in burrows. Omnivorous, the species feeds on seeds, fruit, and invertebrates. Where not hunted, they are tame, but their feathers are used by certain tribes, such as the Maasai.
The mangrove kingfisher is a kingfisher in the genus Halcyon. It is similar in appearance to the woodland kingfisher. It is found along the eastern coastline of Sub-Saharan Africa, living in woodland, along rivers, and in estuaries and mangrove. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has assessed it as being of least concern.
The Madagascar sandgrouse is a species of bird in the family Pteroclidae. It is endemic to Madagascar and is a ground-dwelling short-legged plump bird. The head of the male is brown with a black area surrounding the beak. It has a pinkish-buff coloured breast, a light brown mottled back, brown wings and paler underparts barred with dark brown. The female has a generally duller appearance being cryptically coloured brown with dark specks and bars.
The northern black korhaan, also known as the white-quilled bustard, is a species of bird in the bustard family, Otididae. It is widely distributed across Southern Africa. Its habitat is primarily open grassland and scrub.
The blue korhaan or blue bustard is a species of bird in the family Otididae which is native to South Africa. Its call is a series of frog-like croaks, usually uttered in flight. Its natural habitat is plateau grassland, dry shrubland, arable land and pastureland. Its preferred habitat is one with short grassland and flat topography.
The buff-crested bustard is a medium-sized bird of East Africa; Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya belonging to the family Otididae. The populations are stable and the species is of least concern.
Hartlaub's bustard is a species of bird in the family Otididae. It is a medium-sized bustard with a long, think neck, and long legs. It is found in open, tall grassland, range from 1600 meters to 2000 meters in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda.
The little brown bustard is a species of bird in the family Otididae. Found in Ethiopia and Somalia, its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland and subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland. As indicated by its name, this bustard is the world's smallest at 45 cm (18 in) and 600 grams (1.3 lb). It is threatened by habitat destruction.
The red-crested korhaan or red-crested bustard is a species of bird in the family Otididae. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
The white-bellied bustard or white-bellied korhaan is an African species of bustard. It is widespread in sub-Saharan Africa in grassland and open woodland habitats. Despite its wide distribution and easily identifiable characteristics, very few studies have been conducted on this species and little is known about its life history and behavior.
The karoo korhaan, also known as karoo bustard, is a species of bird in the bustard family, Otididae, from Southern Africa. There are two subspecies, the nominate race, from south-eastern South Africa, and H. v. namaqua, from north-western South Africa and southern Namibia.
The bearded scrub robin, also known as the eastern bearded scrub robin, is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae. It is found in eastern and southern Africa.
The white-bellied piculet is a Vulnerable species of bird in subfamily Picumninae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found in Brazil, Guyana, and Venezuela.
The black-fronted bushshrike is a passerine bird of the bushshrike family, Malaconotidae. It inhabits forests mainly in East Africa. It forms a superspecies with the many-colored bushshrike and the two are sometimes considered to be a single species.
The Abyssinian wheatear, or Abyssinian black wheatear, is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae, the Old World flycatchers and chats. It is found from Ethiopia to southern Kenya and north-eastern Tanzania.
The yellow-crowned bishop is a species of passerine bird in the family Ploceidae native to Africa south of the Sahara. It is highly sexually dimorphic in its breeding season, during which the male adopts a distinctive yellow and black plumage, contrasting with the female's predominantly brown coloration. Four subspecies are recognised.
