Animal Fact Sheet
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Kori bustards
Ardeotis kori
What does it look like?
Kori bustards are large, primarily terrestrial birds. The
males can weigh up to 42lbs. and reach a total height of 54”.
Females are of significantly smaller stature. If threatened they
can fly to escape immediate danger, making them the world’s
heaviest flying birds.
Their overall appearance is a grayish-buff coloration with dark
brown striping and a buff colored underside with dark brown feathers.
Their chin, throat and neck are an off white with black bands throughout.
They also have a short bill and no hind toe. The lack of a hind
toe renders them unable to perch in trees.
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| Where
in the world
Although overall numbers are declining, Kori bustards are still
found in areas throughout Eastern and Southern Africa. They tend
to inhabit open grasslands and wooded savannas in lower elevations.
What are some behaviors?
This species is generally silent however they can make a loud “barking”
sound when threatened or alarmed.
Kori bustards spend a considerable amount of
time sun bathing and dust bathing due to the fact that they do not
have a preening gland. In lieu of a preening gland they produce
a powder down to aid them in the cleaning process.
Overall Kori bustards are fairly inactive birds
and prefer to spend the majority of their time standing still or
walking at a fairly slow pace.
What about offspring?
Kori bustards are sexually mature at approximately 3 years of age.
The female lays 1-2 eggs, which hatch after an incubation period
of 23-24 days. The chicks are precocial and able to follow their
mother within hours of hatching. In the wild, breeding activity
is in conjunction with the rainy season. In years of severe drought,
the reproduction rate can be severely affected. |
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What does it eat?
They are omnivorous birds. Insects make up a significant portion
of their diet but they will also consume a variety of small vertebrates,
seeds, berries and plant material. One interesting fact about the
Kori bustard is that it is one of only a few species of birds to
drink water using a sucking action instead of scooping the liquid
up with their bill.
Is it threatened
or endangered?
Kori bustards are listed as threatened in Appendix II of CITES.
The Living Desert is currently one of several institutions cooperating
in the Kori bustard SSP. Since 1992 over 80 Kori bustards chicks
have hatched in captivity throughout the United States.
Several factors, including agricultural development,
low tolerance of human activity, collision with overhead power lines,
a slow reproduction rate and hunting for the use of their feathers,
are all contributing factors to the decline of Kori bustards in
the wild.
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