5000 Bustards released in Morocco

The Houbara Bustard, Chlamydotis undulata, is a large bird in the bustard family and is widely prized in Arabia and Pakistan for its meat; widespread hunting has almost put it on the endangered list. Now the bird is making a come back in Morocco - thanks to the UAE.

General Shaikh Mohammad bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, has participated in the release of more than 5,000 houbaras in an area of about 300km inside the eastern desert of Morocco.

General Shaikh Mohammad said: "This release of the houbaras in North Africa was necessary to meet the continuous decline of houbara numbers due to the destruction of their wintering and breeding habitat, over-trapping and over-hunting in addition to illegal trade, all of which require insistent steps to restore a healthy houbara population in the wild."

The released houbaras had been bred in captivity at the Emirates Centre for Wildlife Propagation (ECWP) in Missour, Morocco.

This release is considered to be the largest reintroduction of endangered species into the wild so far.

The houbara bustard, the species that has been reintroduced has been seriously threatened by a combination of detrimental factors as well as habitat loss.

Efforts to conserve the houbaras started as early as 1977, when the late Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan directed that Al Ain Zoo begin a breeding programme for the Asian houbara bustard, even before the population reached "vulnerable" status on the endangered list.

In 1982, the first captive chick saw daylight in the UAE. In 1989, the National Avian Research Centre (NARC) which is currently spearheading maximum conservation efforts was founded and later incorporated under the Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi.

"We are very excited to have helped increase the houbara population in the wild. The UAE is committed to restoring an unlimited houbara population in the wild," said Shaikh Mohammad.

He noted that the integrated programme set by the UAE, in which the ECWP is participating has made tremendous progress and has already succeeded in creating a self-sustaining captive houbara population.

Despite the intense challenges of breeding this shy bird in captivity, the UAE is on target to meet its ambitious goal of producing 5,000 birds per year.

About 35 per cent of the released houbaras were fitted by satellite transmitter to track their movement. Birds chosen to be released were selected from a group of chicks produced by the centre based on specific criteria.

Crucial: Movements tracked

The centre's breeding complex is the headquarters of a vast network of specialised stations distributed over 40,000 square km in eastern Morocco.

The integrated, state-of-the-art facilities use the latest scientific innovations to breed, acclimatise and reintroduce the houbaras into the wild.

After release, their movements are closely tracked and their behaviour is studied in their natural habitat. One of the project's successes is that it locally grows all the food required by the houbara population.

Since the ECWP's primary objective is to restore a sustainable wild houbara population, tracking the released birds and monitoring their behaviour in their natural habitat is crucial.

In studying the houbara's efforts to survive, ECWP scientists monitor everything from weather systems to vegetation and wildlife in the release areas.


Background information.

The houbara breeds in the Canary Islands and north Africa and Pakistan. The Asian former subspecies has now been split as a separate species, Macqueen's Bustard, Chlamydotis macqueenii. These are the only members of the Chlamydotis genus.

The word houbara derives from Arabic حبارى.

The dividing line between the two species is the Sinai peninsula. The Houbara Bustard is largely resident in its range.

This species breeds in deserts and other very arid sandy areas.

The Houbara Bustard is 60 cm long with an 140 cm wingspan. It is brown above and white below, with a black stripe down the sides of its neck. In flight, the long wings show large areas of black and brown on the flight feathers. It is slightly smaller and darker than Macqueen's Bustard.

Sexes are similar, but the female is smaller and grayer above. It is vocally almost silent.

Like other bustards, this species has a flamboyant display raising the white feathers of the head and throat and withdrawing the head. 2-4 eggs are laid on the ground.

This species is omnivorous, taking seeds, insects and other small creatures.



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