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Great bustard reintroduction project

Great bustard from reintroduction scheme in flight

The Great Bustard Group (GBG) is attempting to reintroduce great bustards to Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire. In 2004, 27 young great bustards arrived from Saratov in Russia and were released at a prepared site on Salisbury Plain, followed by a further 32 in 2005.

The aim of the trial reintroduction project is to create a sustainable population of great bustards on Salisbury Plain over the next 10 years.

The RSPB was consulted during the development of the project, and sits on a consultative committee that advises on implementation of the project. We are working with the GBG, farmers and landowners in the area, to ensure that Salisbury Plain becomes an even richer place for birds.

Until the end of the 18th century, great bustards were widely distributed in England

Salisbury Plain already has important numbers of stone-curlew, which has benefited from successful protection and increased habitat provided by the RSPB/English Nature Wessex Stone-curlew Species Recovery Project, working with the Ministry of Defence.

Until the end of the 18th century, great bustards were widely distributed in England on open chalk downland, grassy heaths and agricultural land. The intensification of agriculture caused numbers to decline and, because they were a prized game bird, heavy persecution led to their extinction by around 1840. 

Their stronghold was in Wiltshire, especially Salisbury Plain and the extensive chalk downs in the north of the county, but the last records were from East Anglia.

At present, the only area of the country that seems to offer enough suitable habitat to support a breeding population of great bustards is Salisbury Plain, which has been saved from the plough by the army who use it for training. The proximity of rich grasslands to adjacent crops offers the birds the mix of habitats they favour across their European range.

Great bustard facts

  • The great bustard is the largest flying bird in the world - some males weigh over 20 kilograms.
  • Males usually have to be five years of age before they are able to breed.
  • Males gather in groups called 'leks' to attract females. 
  • The diet is seasonal and largely opportunistic. They will eat insects such as grasshoppers in the summer and cereal seeds in the winter.

Last modified: 14 December 2005