From the archive record
GIB in the Desert National Park, Jaisalmar, Rajasthan, India, at the edge of the Thar desert. One of India's rarest birds, with habitat loss being it's prime grouse The Great Indian Bustard (Ardeotis- earlier Choriotis - nigriceps) or Indian Bustard is a bustard found in India and the adjoining regions of Pakistan. A large bird with a horizontal body and long bare legs giving it an ostrich like appearance. The body is brownish with a black patch spotted in white. It stands at about a metre high(39 in) and is a large, brown and white bird, the male is about 122 cm (48 in) in length, its weight is 18--32 lb (8--14.5 kg) and the female 92 cm (36 in) in length, its weight is 7.8--15 lb (3.5--6.75 kg). The male is deep sandy buff coloured and during the breeding season has a black breast band.