Great bustard (Otis tarda), head of calling male showing the "moustache" feathers.
This photo was taken on Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire, the home of the great bustard reintroduction project. Great bustards were formerly native to the UK, but last bred in 1832 and became extinct in the country soon afterwards. The current project is aimed to reintroduce them to the UK, using stock from Russia and, more recently, Spain. Males display in a communal lek, and the females choose one to mate with. Males play no part in nesting or in the rearing of the young.
Size: 3311px × 5214px
Photo credit: © David Sewell / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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