Canarian Houbara
Encyclopedia
The Canarian Houbara, Chlamydotis undulata fuertaventurae, is a large bird in the bustard
family. It is a Houbara Bustard
subspecies
which is endemic to the eastern Canary
archipelago
, in Macaronesia
in the North Atlantic Ocean
, where it is a scarce and threatened non-migratory resident.
, Lobos
, Lanzarote
and Graciosa
, though it is uncertain as to whether they continue to exist on Lobos. Annual rainfall in their range is less than 140 mm while mean monthly temperatures range between 16°C in January-February and 24°C in August-September. They inhabit semi-arid plains, rocky hills and immobile dunes, sparsely vegetated with bushes and grasses. They will sometimes feed in farmland in the early morning and at dusk, but avoid human settlements, cornfields, forests and lava flows.
the birds may be gregarious and forage in small parties. However, when breeding, males hold and defend individual territories for courtship display some 500-1000 m across. During this period both sexes tend to be solitary, only coming together for mating
. Courtship takes place from December to March with the male displaying his head and throat plumage while strutting in a line or circle. The female lays two or three eggs
in a scrape on the ground between February and April. Males are probably polygynous
and do not help to rear the young. The chicks are nidifugous
and accompany the female after hatching. Usually only one chick survives from each clutch, rarely two.
s, molluscs and small vertebrate
s as well as plant material. The chicks require insects in order to grow properly.
by several factors, including habitat destruction
from development, increased disturbance from tourism
, illegal hunting
, collisions with powerlines
and disturbance by truffle collectors.
Bustard
Bustards, including floricans and korhaans, are large terrestrial birds mainly associated with dry open country and steppes in the Old World...
family. It is a Houbara Bustard
Houbara Bustard
The Houbara Bustard, Chlamydotis undulata, is a large bird in the bustard family.-Description:The Houbara Bustard is a small to mid-sized bustard. It measures in length and spans across the wings. It is brown above and white below, with a black stripe down the sides of its neck. In flight, the...
subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
which is endemic to the eastern Canary
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
archipelago
Archipelago
An archipelago , sometimes called an island group, is a chain or cluster of islands. The word archipelago is derived from the Greek ἄρχι- – arkhi- and πέλαγος – pélagos through the Italian arcipelago...
, in Macaronesia
Macaronesia
Macaronesia is a modern collective name for several groups of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean near Europe and North Africa belonging to three countries: Portugal, Spain, and Cape Verde...
in the North Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
, where it is a scarce and threatened non-migratory resident.
Taxonomy
The Canarian Houbara is one of three subspecies of the Houbara Bustard. Archaeological evidence indicates that it has been present in the Canary Islands for 130-170,000 years. However, genetic data point to a more recent separation of C. u. fuertaventurae from the nominate subspecies around 20-25,000 years ago. It suggests that there was an initial colonisation of the Canary Islands about 130,000 years ago, followed by a second colonisation 19-30 000 years ago, with subsequent isolation until today.Description
The Canarian Houbara is distinguished from the other two subspecies by its smaller size, less sandy colouring, and darker and more extensive markings on the back. It is the largest bird native to the Canary Islands.Distribution and habitat
Houbaras are restricted to the islands of FuerteventuraFuerteventura
Fuerteventura , a Spanish island, is one of the Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa. It is situated at 28°20' north, 14°00' west. At 1,660 km² it is the second largest of the Canary Islands, after Tenerife...
, Lobos
Lobos Island
Lobos Island is a small island of the Canary Islands located just 2 km north of the island of Fuerteventura. Politically it belongs to the municipality of La Oliva, on the island of Fuerteventura. It has an area of 4.6 km². It has been a nature reserve without permanent human population...
, Lanzarote
Lanzarote
Lanzarote , a Spanish island, is the easternmost of the autonomous Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean, approximately 125 km off the coast of Africa and 1,000 km from the Iberian Peninsula. Covering 845.9 km2, it stands as the fourth largest of the islands...
and Graciosa
Graciosa, Canary Islands
There is also a Graciosa in the Azores, see GraciosaGraciosa Island or commonly La Graciosa is a volcanic island in the Canary Islands of Spain, located 2 km north of the island of Lanzarote with the strait named Río. It was formed by the Canary hotspot...
, though it is uncertain as to whether they continue to exist on Lobos. Annual rainfall in their range is less than 140 mm while mean monthly temperatures range between 16°C in January-February and 24°C in August-September. They inhabit semi-arid plains, rocky hills and immobile dunes, sparsely vegetated with bushes and grasses. They will sometimes feed in farmland in the early morning and at dusk, but avoid human settlements, cornfields, forests and lava flows.
Breeding
Outside the breeding seasonBreeding season
The breeding season is the most suitable season, usually with favourable conditions and abundant food and water, for breeding among some wild animals and birds . Species with a breeding season have naturally evolved to have sexual intercourse during a certain time of year in order to achieve the...
the birds may be gregarious and forage in small parties. However, when breeding, males hold and defend individual territories for courtship display some 500-1000 m across. During this period both sexes tend to be solitary, only coming together for mating
Mating
In biology, mating is the pairing of opposite-sex or hermaphroditic organisms for copulation. In social animals, it also includes the raising of their offspring. Copulation is the union of the sex organs of two sexually reproducing animals for insemination and subsequent internal fertilization...
. Courtship takes place from December to March with the male displaying his head and throat plumage while strutting in a line or circle. The female lays two or three eggs
Egg (biology)
An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo first begins to develop. In most birds, reptiles, insects, molluscs, fish, and monotremes, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum, which is expelled from the body and permitted to develop outside the body until the developing...
in a scrape on the ground between February and April. Males are probably polygynous
Polygyny
Polygyny is a form of marriage in which a man has two or more wives at the same time. In countries where the practice is illegal, the man is referred to as a bigamist or a polygamist...
and do not help to rear the young. The chicks are nidifugous
Nidifugous
Nidifugous organisms are those that leave the nest shortly after hatching or birth. It is derived from Latin nidus for "nest" and fugere meaning "to flee". The terminology is most often used to describe birds and was introduced by Lorenz Oken in 1916...
and accompany the female after hatching. Usually only one chick survives from each clutch, rarely two.
Feeding
The birds are omnivorous, feeding on the ground and consuming a variety of arthropodArthropod
An arthropod is an invertebrate animal having an exoskeleton , a segmented body, and jointed appendages. Arthropods are members of the phylum Arthropoda , and include the insects, arachnids, crustaceans, and others...
s, molluscs and small vertebrate
Vertebrate
Vertebrates are animals that are members of the subphylum Vertebrata . Vertebrates are the largest group of chordates, with currently about 58,000 species described. Vertebrates include the jawless fishes, bony fishes, sharks and rays, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and birds...
s as well as plant material. The chicks require insects in order to grow properly.
Status and conservation
The Action Plan published in 1995 estimated the total population of Canarian Houbaras at about 700–750 birds, comprising 300–350 on Fuerteventura and Lobos, and 400 on Lanzarote and Graciosa. However a later study estimated the number of birds on Fuerteventura at 177. Although they are classified as endangered on the Spanish Bird Red List, and are protected by legislation, they are threatenedThreatened species
Threatened species are any speciesg animals, plants, fungi, etc.) which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future.The World Conservation Union is the foremost authority on threatened species, and treats threatened species not as a single category, but as a group of three categories,...
by several factors, including habitat destruction
Habitat destruction
Habitat destruction is the process in which natural habitat is rendered functionally unable to support the species present. In this process, the organisms that previously used the site are displaced or destroyed, reducing biodiversity. Habitat destruction by human activity mainly for the purpose of...
from development, increased disturbance from tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
, illegal hunting
Hunting
Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...
, collisions with powerlines
Electric power transmission
Electric-power transmission is the bulk transfer of electrical energy, from generating power plants to Electrical substations located near demand centers...
and disturbance by truffle collectors.