Crested Bustard

Eupodotis ruficrista

Other Names

Eupodotis gindiana   Buff-crested Bustard, Red-crested Bustard, Red-crested Korhaan, Bush Bustard   Outarde houppette, Outarde à huppe rouge, Outarde naine   Rotschopftrappe   Sisón Moñudo Etíope   Rödtofsad trapp   Zuidafrikaanse Kuiftrap   Otarda crestarossa

World: NE Africa from se Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya and Tanzania.

Kenya: Dry bush areas and thorn-scrub regions across most of the country, absent from the moister western areas and the highlands.

We have found that Samburu is one of the best places to see this bird. It can initially be confused with the Black-bellied Bustard or Hartlaub's Bustard although they don't usually occur in the same areas. A quick way to identify it in the field is that it has a much brighter eye than either of the other 2 species. Some authorities consider the subspecies gindiana (pictured above) to be a separate species from ruficrista.