A sharp decline in the numbers of Asian Houbara Bustard Chlamydotis macqueenii towards the end of the 20 th century raised concerns about the conservation status of this species. It is one of the multiple bustard species and similar to the Great Indian Bustard, which is native to India. Habitat use by seven female (grey bars) and 13 male (white bars) Houbara Bustards compared to habitat availability (black bars) in the four seasons (seasons were defined as in Table 2). Journal of Arid Environments 35(1): 111–121. Vegetation and crawling invertebrate abundance were sampled in each habitat. stated that vegetation with 10–17% coverage is preferable habitats for the species at Harrat al-Harrah reserve, in northern Saudi Arabia. The aim of this paper is to assess wintering habitat use by houbara bustard at macro and micro scales within a semi-arid steppe and to determine habitat variables influencing houbara habitat selection at these two ecological scales. fact that the Bee Eater may act as an early warning system to call out (1988) Biology of the houbara bustard Chlamydotis undulata macqueenii in Baluchistan. not a native resident in Britain. Habitat analysis in terms of vegetation parameters along with its edaphic and physiographic features aids in better overview of its hosting potentiality to wildlife [14]. a quick alarm if predators approach. Habitats with hills and depressions could serve in assembling a permanent habitat where houbaras may forage, display, and nest at a single area as is the case in Mahazat as-Sayd. google_ad_type = "text"; The Species expand. Density of species was 1337 plant/ha. According to the adviser, Pakistan and UAE will collaborate to reintroduce the Asian houbara bustard in its local habitat in Pakistan. The great Indian bustard stands at about 1 m (3.3 ft) tall, having a somewhat long neck and quite long legs. Rumrumiyya site recorded the highest species abundance and vegetative coverage (133%) among the sites. The reserve covers an area of about 218,793 ha. Asian Houbara. The Houbara bustard, a shy rare bird, has become a diplomatic issue in Pakistan. Recorded plant density at the site was 1450 plants/ha. google_ad_type = "text"; Analysis of variance for vegetation cover among the 4 selected sampling areas at Mahazat as-Sayd reserve. 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Zhihong, “Effects of ecological factors on plant communities of Ziwuling Mountain, Shaanxi Province, China,”, B. Gholinejad, A. Farajollahi, and H. Pouzesh, “Environmental factors affecting on distribution of plant communities in semiarid areas (Case study: Kamyaran rangelands, Iran),”, A. G. Koppad and P. Tikhile, “Influence of topography on spatial distribution of vegetation in Uttara Kannada district,”, W. M. Block and L. A. Brennan, “The habitat concept in ornithology: theory and applications,” in, S. Aghainajafi-Zadeh, M. R. Hemami, M. Karami, and P. M. Dolman, “Wintering habitat use by houbara bustard (, Y. Hingrat, F. Ysnel, M. S. Saint Jalme, J. The North African houbara (Chlamydotis undulata) and the Asian houbara (Chlamydotis macqueenii) are two separate species of Houbara bustard. The endangered houbara bustard is in the news again. symbiotic relationship with Bee Eaters. Asian Houbara Under Threat. The overall distances covered by the birds were very variable, … Habitats expand. Other site species include Fagonia indica and Salsola imbricata. comes from an arabic word). The first complete Houbara Bustard census at a top-level tourist destination. 35, 111–121. It means that the species is threatened with global extinction. Habitat preferences by Houbara Bustards Chlamydotis [ undulata ] macqueenii in Harrat al-Harrah reserve, in northern Saudi Arabia were determined from sightings of birds in all seasons over three years. Temperature and rainfall data were analyzed to reveal their trend and variations in the reserve. (Source: Wikimedia Commons) The government of Pakistan has issued special permits to the Emir of Qatar and nine other members of the royal family to hunt the houbara bustard, an internationally protected bird species. Islands and North Africa. Habitat: Wetland. Figure 3 represents a 5-year moving average of rainfall for the duration 1991–2011, which clearly shows a decreasing trend in rainfall. Pakistan also provides habitat for 25 internationally bird species and 10 internationally threatened reptiles.