The Great Bustard Project
The Great Bustard (Otis tarda) is the heaviest flying bird in the world & the males have been recorded at over 50lb & are at least as tall as adult Roe Deer. The bird last bred in Wiltshire in about 1830 & the last known records in the County are from the 1870s, they vanished from the rest of the country at about the same time. They were hunted out of existence, even though this may have been shared with changes in farming practices & land use. The Great Bustard is the County bird of Wiltshire. It is on the County Crest, the heraldic device of the County Council, the badge of the County Army Cadet Force, the County Girl Guides, the badge of the Royal School of Artillery, & features throughout the county in forms ranging from pub names to school badges. The name, tarda, is said to be from Latin meaning slow. The great Bustard is often majestic but the word ‘tarda’ is rather astonishing,...
