OTIDID2E, the bustard family of birds, com prise the genus Otis and three sub-genera, also species of Houbara, Eupodotis, and Sypheotides.
Eupodotis Edwardsii, Gray, Indian bustard. Otis nigriceps, Vigors. I O. Lucionensis, Vicillot.
Tokdar sohun, . . HIND.I Burrs. chirath, . . HIND.
Guganbher, . . „ Batt-meka, . . . TEL.
Hookna, Gurayin, „ Batt-myaka Length, 4f to 5 feet ; weight, 26 to 28 lbs. Not found in the valley of the Ganges, Bengal, Behar, or the Malabar coast, but is spread over other parts of India. Eupodotis nuba, Ruppell, E. Ludwigi, Ruppell, E. caffra, Licht., E. Denhami, E. Arabs, Linn., and E. kori, Burchell, occur in Africa.
Houbara Macqucenii, Gray, Hardie., Gould, is the O. marmorata, Gray, Hardie., and is the Tilaor, female, and Obarra, Hrwi. The Indian houbara bustard is 25 to 30 inches long, and weighs 3+ to 3i lbs. It is found throughout the plains of the Panjab and Upper Sind, occa sionally crossing the Sutlej and the Indus lower down, but it does not occur east of Dehli. It is much hawked both in the Panjab and Sind, the falcon used being the cherrug or Falco sacer.
Sypheotides Bengalensis, Gm., Bengal florikin.
O. deliciosa, Gray, Hardw. I O. Himalayan, Vigors. Charras, Charaz, . HIND. I Dubar . . . of NEPAL.
Length, 24 to 27 inches ; weight, 31 lbs. It occurs in all the north of India, from Calcutta to the Himalaya.
Sypheotides auritus, Lath., black florikin.
Otis auritis, Latham. I O. fulva, Sykes.
Kan-noul, . . . CAN. Tan-mor, . . MAH R.
Charas, Charaz, . HIND. Waragoo-koli, . . TAM. Chulla charz, . . „ Niala-nimili, . . TEL. Likh, Khar-titar, . „ Length, 18 to 19 inches ; weight, 16 to 18 oz. ; found throughout India.
Otis tetras, Linn., the Tetrax campestris, the small bustard of Europe, is said to have been found in the Peshawur valley. It occurs in Central and Western Asia and N. Africa.
The following are bustards of Africa, some of which spread into Arabia, viz. :-0. rhaad, Shaw ; O. cceruleseens, Vieill.; O. scolopacea, Tenun. ; O. afra, L. ; O. afroides, S. ; O. Senegalensis, Vieill.; O. melanogaster, Ralph.
Otis tarda, Linn., great bustard ; Avis tarda. Kodan, Jurz, . . ARAB. JIM gli-kabllt, . . HIND.
Asford, .. . . „ Starda commune, . . IT.
Battmiaka, . CAN., TEL. Alm burs, . . . PEns. Ostarde, Houtrade, Fn. Gustard, . . SCOTCH. Bistarde, . . . „ Abu-tarda, . . . SP.
Trapp, Trapp-gans, Gm. Nil-naray, . . TAM.
Grossetrappa, . . „ Batt-miaka„ . . TEL.
Acken-trapp, . . „ Bit-miaka, . . . „ The bustards live generally in open countries, preferring plains or wide-spreadiug, extensive downs, dotted with low bushes and underwood,— localities which give them an opportunity of descrying their enemy from afar.—Ainslie ; Eng. Cyc. ; Jerdon's Birds.