In the female which is smaller than the male, the head and neck are not pure white and the breast band is either rudimentary, broken or absent.

[7] Today, the great Indian bustard occurs in Rajasthan, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat states of India.

Desert National Park, near Jaisalmer and coastal grasslands of the Abdasa and Mandvi talukas of Kutch District of Gujarat support some populations.

[12] The great Indian bustard lives in arid and semi-arid grasslands, open country with thorn scrub, tall grass interspersed with cultivation.

The dry semi-desert regions in parts of Rajasthan have been altered by irrigation canals into an intensively farmed area.

[4] It also consumes grass seeds, berries, largely of the genera Ziziphus and Eruca, rodents and reptiles; in Rajasthan, it also hunts Indian spiny-tailed lizards Uromastyx hardwickii.

[21] Great Indian bustards make local movements but these are not well understood; flocks disperse after the monsoon.

Territorial fights between males may involve strutting next to each other, leaping against each other with legs against each other and landing down to lock the opponent's head under their neck.

[25] Current threats to the species include the development of linear infrastructure intrusions such as roads and electric power transmission lines in the desert that lead to collision-related mortality.

[26] Proposed expansion of renewable energy infrastructure, which may involve deploying solar panels over large areas of desert and grasslands is another threat to the bird's habitat.

[13] The great Indian bustard is critically endangered in Pakistan primarily due to lack of protection and rampant hunting.

These helped wildlife when the trees were short but after their extensive growth they made the adjoining grassland less favourable for bustards.

[36][37] The great Indian bustard was however a cryptic and wary bird making it a challenge for sportsmen, who had to stalk carefully (sometimes using covered bullock carts[38]) to get within range.

William Henry Sykes notes that they were common in the Deccan region where a "gentleman" had shot a thousand birds.

[3][42][43] Tribal Bhils are claimed to have used a technique for trapping females that involves setting twigs on fire around the nest containing an egg or chick.

[5] The invention of the Jeep changed the method of hunting and it became extremely easy for hunters to chase bustards down in their open semi-desert habitats.