Great bustards are considered among the most ancient representatives of steppe ecosystem fauna. The earliest fossils attributed to great bustards were discovered in Germany and date back to the mid-Eocene (56–33.9million years ago). However, the modern species is believed to have emerged during the Pleistocene epoch (2.58 million to 11.7 thousand years ago).

The species is found in two distinct regions: one in Europe and the other in Asia. The European subspecies is called the Western Great Bustard (Otis tarda tarda), while the Asian subspecies is the Eastern Great Bustard (Otis
tarda dybowskii). 

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IN THE SHADOW OF THE STEPPE: LIFE OF THE GREAT BUSTARD

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