Tuesday, August 03, 2004

Great bustard jets into Britain

Great bustard jets into Britain

The extinct great bustard is back in Britain after 30 chicks arrived from the Russian steppes on Monday.

The great bustard is the world's heaviest flying bird and can weigh up to 20kg and stand to the height of an adult roe deer. Unfortunately it was regarded as a great delicacy in Britain and the last one was shot and eaten in 1832.

The chicks will now spend a period in quarantine and then will be prepared for release on Salisbury Plain. Plans to hatch chicks in Russia and bring them to Wiltshire were expected to come to fruition earlier this year, but the completion of the project was delayed by paperwork on the Russian side. - BBC News

See also:
Russian paperwork foils bird plan
Heaviest bird returns to Britain
Great bustard set for UK return

What's in my CD player: Up - R.E.M.

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