The Great British Bustard ; More Than 170 Years Ago, the World's Heaviest Flying Bird Was Driven to Extinction in Britain. Now, Thanks to a Unique Experiment, It Is Once Again Part of Our Landscape ...

Summary

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Soaring high above Salisbury Plain, its mighty wings bearing its vast body, the great bustard returns to its natural habitat for the first time in more than 170 years. In a sight not witnessed since before Victorian times, when it was driven to extinction by predators and huntsmen, the world's heaviest flying bird spreads its wings and glides over the Wiltshire landscape.

This bird is one of 22 chicks that were brought here last year by the Great Bustard Group, a team of British ornithologists who, in a unique experiment, flew them over from a remote Russian steppe, one of the few habitats where the bird still thrives.

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Extract

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The Great British Bustard ; More Than 170 Years Ago, the World's Heaviest Flying Bird Was Driven to Extinction in Britain. Now, Thanks to a Unique Experiment, It Is Once Again Part of Our Landscape ...

Only seven survived their first year, evading foxes and learning to fly over the fence of their release pen, where they lived until they felt ready to leave, without knocking themselves unconscious. This was still a good result for the ornithologists, with a survival rate matching the...

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