houbara

[hoo-bahr-uh]

noun

1. a bustard, Chlamydotis undulata, of northern Africa and western Asia, having long black and white plumes on each side of the neck.

Word History and Origins

Origin of houbara¹

First recorded in 1820–30, houbara is from the Arabic word hubārā

Example Sentences

Nomadic people used the birds to hunt prey such as the Houbara bustard, a large, fast bird that has been hunted so aggressively it is now an endangered species in Qatar.

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A man on a motorbike is paid to tour the vicinity spotting houbara bustards, so the sheikh doesn't have to drive too far.

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Numerous private parties began travelling from the Gulf to hunt the houbara bustard, a migratory bird that comes to the south-west of Balochistan in winter.

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The hunting of houbara bustards, also known as Asian houbaras, has long been a contentious issue.

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But falconry is the sport of kings in the Gulf and there were flocks of the falcons' prey, the Houbara bustard, in the empty expanse of southern Iraq.

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