Great bustard sighting first for 135 years
A HUGE bird that had not been seen in the Channel Islands for 135 years has been spotted in Alderney.
Published
The great bustard was hunted to extinction in Britain at the end of the 19th century and is now found mainly in Central Asia.
The last time that the species was spotted in the Channel Islands was in 1879, when two were seen in Jersey – and promptly shot.
It is the first time the species has ever been recorded in Alderney,
Standing up to 3ft 11in. tall, with a wingspan of up to 9ft, the male great bustard is believed to be the heaviest living flying animal in the world.
