An Australian Bustard chick photos

If you said this title verbally, it would sound a bit strange, but it is to do with birds and the Australian Bustard is one name, Bush Turkey is another.

Today while I was training someone, a person who was taking this bird back to Alice Springs came in to the office to collect it and take it in the car. I was unaware that they had left it in the next office. I asked if I could take some photos which are below, and after being told that would be ok, raced back to my accommodation to grab the camera.

Apparently its parent had been killed by someone in a nearby community and the chick had been discovered afterwards. Killing these birds for food is a normal way of life for the locals where I am, they are considered a bit of a delicacy, but they also have years where it is decided there will be no killing to ensure the sustainability of the species in these parts. (I often take photos of these birds and say aloud to them "lucky it was me in the car").

So, I managed a few very quick photos in one of the plant drums out the front of the office. Strangely, when I mentioned the Australian Hobby that normally hung around the person taking the chick back to Alice Springs was very quick to put the chickback in its travelling container :-)