🐦

Black-bellied Bustard

Lissotis melanogaster

Least Concern
Wingspan
66.4 cm
Weight
1552.5 g
Family
Otididae
Order
Otidiformes

About

A medium-sized bustard (58-65 cm) found in grasslands across sub-Saharan Africa. Males have a black belly and inflatable blue throat pouch used in dramatic courtship displays. Omnivore. One of the most widespread African bustards.

Physical Description

Measurement Value Imperial
Wingspan 66.4 cm 26.1 in
Weight 1552.5 g 54.76 oz

Identification

Plumage

Rufous-throated Bronze-cuckoo: rufous throat contrasting bronze-green above; barred white below; small; iridescent green-bronze

Habitat & Range

Geographic Range

Found in grasslands across sub-Saharan Africa from Senegal to Ethiopia and south to South Africa. Resident.

Diet & Feeding

Omnivore of tall-grass savanna; eats insects, small vertebrates, seeds, and green shoots. Beetles and grasshoppers are primary prey.

Conservation Status

Least Concern
IUCN Red List

Behavior & Breeding

Nesting

Nest type: SC.

Clutch Size

1-2

Sound

Song

Loud, low booming call; deep resonant notes carrying far across open grassland in South Asian landscape.

Taxonomy

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Aves
Order Otidiformes (Bustards)
Family Otididae (Bustards)
Genus Lissotis
Species Lissotis melanogaster

Distribution

Black-bellied Bustard has been recorded in 1 countries.

{# Distribution Map — simplified SVG world map with highlighted countries. Expects `country_codes` variable: list of ISO alpha-2 codes (e.g. ["US", "CA", "MX"]). Uses Alpine.js to toggle classes on country paths. #}
Present Not recorded
{# Simplified country/region shapes — major landmasses with ISO alpha-2 data attributes. These are simplified polygon representations for visual distribution display. #}

countries highlighted

External Databases

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the Black-bellied Bustard eat?
Omnivore of tall-grass savanna; eats insects, small vertebrates, seeds, and green shoots. Beetles and grasshoppers are primary prey.
Where does the Black-bellied Bustard live?
Found in grasslands across sub-Saharan Africa from Senegal to Ethiopia and south to South Africa. Resident.
Is the Black-bellied Bustard endangered?
The Black-bellied Bustard has a conservation status of Least Concern.
How does the Black-bellied Bustard nest?
Nest type: SC.
What does the Black-bellied Bustard sound like?
Loud, low booming call; deep resonant notes carrying far across open grassland in South Asian landscape.
How big is the Black-bellied Bustard?
The Black-bellied Bustard has a wingspan of 66.4 cm, weight of 1552.5 g.
What order and family does the Black-bellied Bustard belong to?
The Black-bellied Bustard (Lissotis melanogaster) belongs to the order Otidiformes and the family Otididae.

Similar Birds

Other species in the Otididae family

Compare

Explore More

Explore the Nature FYI Family