Asian Houbara
Chlamydotis macqueenii
- Family
- Bustards (Otididae)
- Order
- Otidiformes
Overview
The Asian houbara (Chlamydotis macqueenii), also known as MacQueen's bustard, is a large bird in the bustard family. It is native to the desert and steppe regions of Asia, east from the Sinai Peninsula extending across Iran and further north toward Kazakhstan and Mongolia. In the 19th century, vagrants were found as far west of their range as Great Britain. Populations have decreased by 20–50% between 1984 and 2004 mainly due to hunting and changes in land-use.
Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Range and habitat
Breeds Middle East and Arabia eastward to Iran and extreme western Pakistan, northwestern Kazakhstan and northeastern Iran eastward to Mongolia and northern China, wintering from Persian Gulf to Pakistan and northwestern India, and in central China.
Range description: AviList Global Avian Checklist.
Sources and further reading
- Wikipedia: Asian houbara
- eBird: sightings, maps and photos
- xeno-canto: sound recordings
- Birds of the World: full species account (subscription)
- BirdLife DataZone: status and threats
- IUCN Red List (threat status)
- AviList global checklist (taxonomy)
Last updated September 29, 2026.
