The fight for the survival of the little bustard, the endangered steppe bird of the Lleida plain

BarcelonaThe light of an April morning caresses the cereal plain that stretches between the Segarra plateau and the Urgell canal, encompassing the Bellmunt mountain range, the Plans de Sió, and the drylands of Belianes-Preixana. A group of natural spaces with poorly defined boundaries that remained outside the influence of the Urgell canal, where we find the last populations of one of the most endangered birds in Catalonia, the little bustard (Tetrax tetrax), also known as holly or dryland duck. In a corner of the rockrose, an intense fight breaks out between two vigorous males vying for rights to a "display ground," a designated area for individual use where the male performs his mating display with the aim of attracting a female. In the specific case of the little bustard, this area consists of very flat land, a very common plot of land. Ownership of this land governs their rank in a social hierarchy that will determine their chances of procreation. With all this at stake, neither rival will be willing to compromise, and with their beaks sharpened, they will stab each other sharply until the weaker admits defeat and leaves. The loser must find another corner to display his mate.

A landscape modified by human activities

For centuries, almost no trees have remained in this part of the plain. The almost total destruction of the primeval forest dates back a long time and coincided with the proliferation of winter pastures intended to feed transhumant herds. The progressive decline of these herds has led to many wastelands, fallow lands, and scrublands being converted into agricultural areas.

The current appearance of the landscape is dominated by dryland cereal crops, such as barley, and small plots with a few almond and olive trees. The little primitive vegetation that remains resists the areas most difficult to cultivate, given the slope of the terrain or the appearance of mineral outcrops, especially gypsum. Birds such as the little bustard, the Montagu's harrier, and the lark have had centuries to adapt to this habitat, which is somewhat reminiscent of the natural steppes of Central Asia.

Living under pressure

The little bustard has two very separate breeding populations. Its eastern range is found mainly in Russia, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan, while its western range is located in Spain and Portugal, with much smaller populations in Italy and France. Quantitatively, the Iberian Peninsula as a whole represents 60% of the world's population, although in some territories the number of individuals is decreasing. is falling in a dive, as in Catalonia or Extremadura.

The little bustards are perfectly adapted to their environment. They have long, strong legs ending in three toes that allow them to trot quickly through low vegetation and cryptic plumage that makes them invisible when they crouch and protects them from potential predators.

But what really stands out about the little bustard is the display that the males have developed to attract females. The male puffs up the black and white plumage of his neck to form a triangle that visually resembles the hood that a cobra displays around its head, stamps and drums loudly on the ground, throws his head back, emits a dry sound and begins a jump in which he displays his dazzling white wings. The jump is accompanied by a kind of whisper, produced by the shorter length of one of the wing feathers, the fourth primary remige, which concludes with the landing. The ritual is repeated several times in a row, and each time the bird returns to its exact starting point to perform a new jump. Males jump facing the sun, especially at dawn and for two hours afterward. It's as if they're welcoming each new morning.

The females, hidden among the grain stalks, move through the different fields to choose the "best dancer." They are the ones who choose their partner, copulate, and mate to raise their chicks alone. We might think that the role of the male, who only contributes his genes, is simple, but very few of the chosen ones actually manage to pair up.

Understanding this is fundamental to any conservation strategy, and scientific research has largely focused on understanding the ecological needs of females, especially during the breeding period. One of the most important is, without a doubt, the abundance of insect-rich areas to feed the young. A little bustard chick can swallow nearly 200 good-sized insects a day, such as locusts or grasshoppers.

Poorer habitat quality

A few weeks ago, the Natural Heritage and Biodiversity Observatory updated the Planeta Viu Index, which analyzes the loss of wildlife populations in Catalonia. The data indicated an average 28% decline in wildlife populations in our country between 2002 and 2023. By habitat, the greatest decline was in agricultural environments, at 40%.

The current state of dryland cereal crops is the result of factors related to the physical environment, such as rainfall, but also, and largely, to socioeconomic factors, such as crop varieties and different land uses.

But what are the specific problems facing the little bustards and, by extension, the rest of the steppe bird species?

First, the disappearance of free-range livestock, which, thanks to their moderate and constant grazing, prevented scrub from encroaching on low-grass areas. Second, the rise of more intensive, profit-maximizing agricultural practices that utilize all available land and eliminate field margins filled with the so-called undergrowth, extremely rich in insects. And very importantly, the indiscriminate use of herbicides, insecticides, and phytosanitary products, in addition to the proliferation of new uses and facilities such as farms, aggregate extractions, industrial estates, road infrastructure, and landfills, to name a few examples.

This progressive loss of habitat quality has led to low reproductive success for the little bustard, as, on average, only one in four females is capable of breeding a louse per year.

Stop time


The epicenter of the problem is how European governments decide to implement the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and subsidize their farmers. Government policies instead encourage industrial agriculture, rather than local production that diversifies economies in rural areas. The impact on the drylands of Lleida has been profound in recent years, and the loss of this pseudo-steppe landscape continues. Cereal monoculture now predominates, and fallow lands and flowery fields and margins have almost disappeared.

So what could be the solution? The secret to helping the sisons is to halt the rise of intensive farming and ensure that agri-environmental programs that compensate farmers are truly effective.

In other countries where little bustards also occur, such as France and Portugal, conservationists have already demonstrated that agri-environment programs can prevent the destruction of little bustard nests and increase the lice's survival with a relatively simple solution: counteracting the problems created by early-harvested cereals and paying farmers to delay sowing. This way, farmers still get their harvest, albeit somewhat later, and receive a cash bonus to help the little bustards survive. And in the drylands of Lleida, farmers in EU-designated Special Protection Areas for Birds (SPAs) (such as Bellmunt-Almenara, Plans de Sió, and Belianes-Preixana, among others) receive compensation if they choose to leave some fields uncultivated.

In the field of conservation, the little bustard is considered an umbrella species because protecting it also indirectly protects other endangered bird species that are part of these steppe ecosystems, such as the Montagu's harrier, the snowy kestrel, the woodpecker, and the blue jay. For all these reasons, the little bustard could become the icon of conservation for the European steppes, and although its current situation is quite complicated, there is still time.