SAVE THE HOUBARA
Food: Information and Facts
The Houbara bustard spends most of its time on the ground foraging for food. Adult male birds are mainly solitary, but can forage in small groups depending on the period of the year. They usually move in a loose knit group in search of food and feed mainly at sunrise and sunset.
Food Methods
In general, like most birds, the Houbara bustard picks up its food from the ground. While eating plants, seedlings are usually plucked and eaten with the roots, flowers, and buds. Seeds are torn off and fallen seeds are picked up from the ground to be eaten.
Breeding: Information and Facts
While there has been a lot of debate among scientists about the evolution of birds, whether they evolved from flying dinosaurs or the reptiles or independently, it cannot be denied that birds have successfully colonised this planet for a long time. The sheer diversity of birds in different biomes of the earth is often astounding. Some even believe that birds are the most successful creatures to inhabit Earth, even more than the insects! This is due to their successful reproduction strategies. Birds reproduce through internal fertilization and after laying their eggs, should their nest get predated upon, they can quickly mate again and lay eggs in another location.
Migration: Information and Facts
The phenomenon of animal migration has always captured our imagination. The usual questions raised by students in the classroom are, ‘What is migration and why do birds migrate? Do birds follow the same route every year on their annual migration? What factors determine their flight paths? As educators, we need to provide interesting answers with examples to these queries.
