Some biological and ecological peculiarities of the Great Bustard in Iran with emphasis on critically endangered situation of the species

Great bustard as a globally threatened species faces extinction risk in Iran. Great Bustard’s habitat is strongly destructed by agricultural activities and land use change. Urgent integrated activities are obligatory to save it from extinction vortex. Great bustard faces with different levels of threats that put it at the extinction risk like very low abundance, agricultural activities especially in the breeding season, waste mismanagement which attract wild and domestic predators, collecting and even touching the eggs. Stopping farm crops’ harvest for three consecutive years, or to postpone harvesting time while keeping Great bustard strips, phylogenetic study to determine the closest donor population, waste management, predators controlling, species ringing and satellite tracking are some of the high priority activities should be considered.