Nest-site selection by the Asian Houbara Bustard, Chlamydotis macqueenii, in the steppe of Harat, Iran

Abstract

A small population of the threatened Asian Houbara Bustard, Chlamydotis macqueenii, breeds in the steppes of central Iran. The differences in habitat features between nest-sites and control sites revealed that the Asian Houbara selects breeding sites with a higher availability of insects, a higher vegetation density, and which are located far from relatively dense plant patches. Moreover, 80% of pseudonests were destroyed by predators in the Zygophyllum atriplicoides community (shrub habitat) compared to the Artemisia sieberi and Seidlitzia rosmarinus communities (bush habitats), confirming its unsuitability for Houbara nesting site selection.