Object Details
From:NHerts
Name/TitleGreat Bustard
About this objectThe bustard is the world’s heaviest flying bird. It was found on Therfield Heath until hunting led to its disappearance by 1832. A project to reintroduce them to the UK began in 2004.
During the first Coronavirus lockdown of 2020 North Hertfordshire Museum Visitor Services Assistant Carys Breeze researched and gave her opinion on this specimen.
What is the most interesting thing about this object?
A taxidermic specimen of the Great Bustard (Otis tarda). The worlds’ heaviest flying birds were bred in Hertfordshire until about 1800. After going extinct in the 1840s a project was set up in 2004 to reintroduce them to the UK. As of February 2020, the UK population is at 100 birds and is now deemed to be self-sustaining.
Further information
The Great Bustard (Otis tarda) is believed to have been present in the UK from the early Holocene. Several species make up the Otididae family with the Great Bustard being the largest, in fact, it is the largest flying land bird and the worlds’ heaviest flying bird with males weighing up to 18kg. This weight means that these are not the quickest of birds, the name given to it by Pliny the Elder, avis tarda, means ‘slow bird’. However, this slowness does not mean that it is easy prey. They were known for being particularly wary of hunters, to the extent that Suffolk fowlers created specialised ‘cribs’, small camouflaged hides on wheels, that they would use to slowly approach the birds whilst they were in flight.
Reported to taste like a cross between a goose and a turkey, these huge birds were highly sought after for the dinner table. Whilst they were indeed difficult to catch, a period of intensive land enclosure in the 1840s meant that these large birds were facing a great reduction of the standard open spaces they require. As droves, the collective noun for Great Bustards, were placed under ever increasing agricultural pressures, these hunting efforts started to have a greater negative impact on their population numbers. Unfortunately, the Victorian passion for collecting acted as the final nail in the coffin. With it’s increasing scarcity, the price of eggs and skins rose, leading to an increased demand. There are various reports of the final bird in the UK but one of these last few was shot at Therfield Heath by 1832.
There have been various attempts to reintroduce these birds to the UK. The first attempt to place in Norfolk in 1900, followed by another in Porton Down, Wiltshire in the 1970s. Unfortunately, both of these attempts failed, however, they did pave the way for the most recent introduction starting in 2004. Undertaken by the Great Bustard Group in collaboration with the RSPB until 2014 when funding was suspended, this project has been successful in re-establishing the Great Bustard in the UK. Until 2013 the birds were sourced from the Russian Federation; eggs were taken from doomed nests and then incubated in an artificial system before being brought to the UK for release. However, in 2013 a decision was made to change the source population to eggs reared from Spanish stock. These eggs were sourced directly from successful nests, although early in the season to promote the production of a second clutch and further in situ populations. In order to prevent imprinting and keep natural human phobia in the chicks, they are fed by hand puppets designed to look like an adult Bustard and the rearing team also wear dehumanising suits prior to release. In 2014, 33 birds were released and this stock showed a 50% survival rate over the first season, greater than both the previous Russian individuals and the expected survivability of a natural population. The UK population now stands at around 100 birds maintaining a self-sustaining population in Wiltshire.
Named CollectionLetchworth Museum
Object TypeBird
Object number1/NZ/497
Copyright LicenceAll rights reserved