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A description of commonly observed behaviors for the kori bustard (Ardeotis kori)

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Abstract

The kori bustard (Ardeotis kori), a large ground-dwelling bird found in southern and eastern Africa, is declining throughout its entire range. We present an ethogram of the kori bustard in which we describe 63 individual behaviors. These behaviors are grouped into ten categories: resting, comfort/maintenance, locomotion, ingestive/excretory, antagonistic, inter-specific response, sexual, maternal, vocalizations and miscellaneous. The precise descriptions of kori bustard behaviors presented here provide a standard that can be used for systematic and quantitative study of kori bustard behavior, both in the wild and in captivity. A greater understanding of kori bustard behavior can help improve breeding success of captive birds and aid future conservation efforts.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the behavior watchers for their generous time and dedication observing and documenting behaviors over the years. Gratitude is extended to Jeanette Boylan, Tim Osborne, Jocelyn Womack and two anonymous reviewers for their comments and improvements to the manuscript, and to Fina Shakeshaft for her illustrations.

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Author notes

  1. Elinor M. Lichtenberg

    Present address: University of California, 9500 Gilman Drive MC 0116, La Jolla, San Diego, CA, 92093-0116, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Smithsonian National Zoological Park, 3001 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC, 20008, USA

    Elinor M. Lichtenberg & Sara Hallager

Authors
  1. Elinor M. Lichtenberg
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  2. Sara Hallager
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Correspondence to Sara Hallager.

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Lichtenberg, E.M., Hallager, S. A description of commonly observed behaviors for the kori bustard (Ardeotis kori). J Ethol 26, 17–34 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10164-006-0030-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10164-006-0030-z

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