Big Bird Finally Lays Eggs

A group of the world's largest flying birds, the great bustard, have laid their first eggs since being re-introduced to the UK, conservationists said.

Since 2004, more than 60 great bustard chicks have been released into the wild. The chicks were hatched from eggs collected and incubated in Russia, then transported to the UK.

The announcement that the eggs had been laid was delayed as conservationists feared disturbance from bird watchers and egg thieves. The eggs were incubated by the female, but were then abandoned and later found to be infertile.

“Males need to be four to five years old before they can breed, so the fact that the eggs were infertile was not a big surprise,” said Tamas Szekely who is the project’s scientific adviser.

Still, Dr Tamas Szekely from the University of Bath said that the announcement, which comes a year earlier than predicted, shows that the project is making good progress.

“What is encouraging is that the eggs were laid in the first place, says Szekely. "Unhappy birds do not produce eggs."

—Tuan C. Nguyen

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