: any of a family (Otididae) of large chiefly terrestrial Old World and Australian game birds
Examples of bustard in a Sentence
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Hunters use them to chase the houbara bustard across deserts in the Gulf, Iraq, and Pakistan — not just for sport, but also for meat believed to have aphrodisiac qualities.—
Manal Albarakati,
semafor.com,
27 Aug. 2025 The great bustard, though sometimes larger than the Andean condor, is not nearly as capable a flyer.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
27 July 2025 Several species of modern birds—which are the descendants of dinosaurs—congregate at leks for the same reason, including greater sage-grouse and great bustards.—
Sarah Kuta,
Smithsonian Magazine,
17 July 2025 The population in Morocco is the only group of great bustards in Africa, and researchers said because of their genetic difference to the Spain population, there was previous debate about how long great bustards have lived on the continent.—
Irene Wright,
Miami Herald,
24 Apr. 2025 Recent findings suggest their death rituals included the great bustard.—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
17 Apr. 2025
Word History
Etymology
Middle English, modification of Middle French bistarde, from Old Italian bistarda, from Latin avis tarda, literally, slow bird