Kori bustard (Ardeotis kori)
Great place to see the kori bustard: Kenya
Native to Africa, the kori bustard is a charming creature that’s a ground-dwelling, opportunistic omnivorous bird. Generally found in open grassy areas that are usually characterised by sandy soil – like the Kalahari sands – this bird is also found in lightly-wooded savannahs, arid plateaus and scrub, plains and semi deserts.
Mostly brown and grey adorning its body, it also has fine black-and-white patterns. It has loose feathers around its neck, which makes that part look thicker than it actually is. Because the kori bustard needs a lot of space to take off and fly, it is not a bird to be found in forested or highly-wooded regions. It feeds in the morning and in the evening, and the rest of the day, as adorable as this could sound – it is found standing still in any available shade. The kori bustard is known to be a silent bird, making a loud growling bark only when alarmed. The male inflates its gular pouch to form a white throat ‘balloon’ during display, puffing out their frontal neck feathers that are spread upwards, making it a delight to watch.
The kori bustard holds a record to its name (which it is blissfully unaware of!), of being the planet’s heaviest living animal capable of flight, even though it spends about 70% of its time on foot, which is why it is our Animal of the Week!
Sign up for a chance to see the kori bustard in its natural habitat now!
The other two Tours on which you can see and photograph this bird are: The Great Migration and on Big Cat Week.
