Breeding Habitat Selection by the Houbara Bustard Chlamydotis[undulata] macqueenii in Mori, Xinjiang, China

In order to define the features that determine breeding habitat suitability forthe Houbara Bustard (Chlamydotis undulata macqueenii), a study of nest-site selection by this species was carriedout in Mori, Xinjiang, China during the breeding seasons in April-June 1998-2000. Most habitats chosenfor nest sites were open areas with short shrubs close to patches of tall shrubs. The nesting female HoubaraBustard clearly prefers areas with sparse vegetation and avoids densely covered sites with tall vegetation. Thevegetative species richness, number of fruiting species, and density of fruiting species at nest sites were significantlylower than those at other randomly selected sites. Vegetation density, plant species richness, density ofAnabasis salsa, distance to the nearest fox den, distance to shrubby patches, and vegetative cover are possiblythe most important factors determining nest-site selection by the Houbara Bustard. The distance to theclosest fox den may be one of the important factors determining the destiny of the nests.

Wei-Kang Yang, Jian-Fang Qiao, Olivier Combreau, Xing-Yi Gao and Wen-Qin Zhong (2003), Zoological Studies 42(3): 470-475