Breeding habitat selection by houbara bustard (Chlamydotis [undulata] macqueenii) in Mori, Xinjiang, China.

The breeding habitat selection by houbara bustards in Mori, Xinjiang, China during the breeding seasons from April to June 1998–2000 was studied. Most of habitats chosen for breeding were short sub-shrubby and open areas close to high bushy patches. The nesting females clearly prefer low covered areas and avoid densely covered and high vegetation sites. The number of herb species was significantly smaller at nest sites than at randomly selected sites. Only the distance to the closest fox den contributed the most to discrimination between successful and predated nests. The average distance to the closest fox den was significantly longer at successful nests than at depredated nests. Vegetative density, plant species richness, topography and distance to the closest fox den are possibly the most important factors that determined the nest sites selection of houbara bustard. The displaying males clearly prefer low covered areas and avoid densely covered and high vegetation sites. The vegetation density and number of plant species at display sites was significantly lower than that at randomly selected sites. The average distance to the closest bushy patch was significantly shorter at display sites than at random sites. Plant species richness, vegetative density, vegetative cover and distance to the bushy patches are possibly the most important factors for the display sites selection of houbara bustard [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]