Gould wrote 'Unlike the Great Bustard, which at one time was indigenous to our island, this smaller species has no more claim to rank as a British bird than any other accidental visitor.'

In the wild, in the steppes of Russia, 'the flight of the Little Bustard is very rapid, and it runs with equal celerity over the sterile wastes upon which it is frequently found, and upon which it squats close to avoid detection on the appearance of danger.'

A male and female are depicted in summer plumage, and in the distance a male is shown in courtship display.'

DISTRIBUTION: Breeds in France, Iberia and northwest Africa eastwards through southern Europe to Kazakhstan, west China to Mongolia and Transbaicalia. Winters irregularly south to southern Mediterranean area, Afghanistan, Pakistan, north India, and south-central China. Rare and irregular vagrant