The taxonomic status of Macqueen's Bustard

For much of the twentieth century, Macqueen's Bustard Chlamydotis macqueenii was treated as a subspecies of Houbara Bustard Chlamydotis undulata, but recent studies of courtship behaviour, vocalisations, and mitochondrial and nuclear DNA have shown consistent differences between Macqueen's and Houbara Bustard. Together with clear-cut plumage differences, these new data suggest that Macqueen's and Houbara Bustard are best treated as separate species. The Canary Islands population of Houbara (C. u. fuertaventurae) is not safely diagnosable from populations in Northern Africa (C. u. undulata) at present, and, based on current knowledge, these populations are best treated as a single species.