[7] The kori bustard is cryptically coloured, being mostly grey and brown, finely patterned with black and white coloring.

The eye is pale yellow, while the bill is light greenish horn coloured, relatively long, straight and rather flattened at the base.

[8] The juvenile is similar in appearance to the female, but is browner with more spotting on the mantle, with shorter crest and neck plumes.

As a whole, other species, such as Dalmatian pelican (Pelecanus crispus), Andean condor (Vultur gryphus) and trumpeter swan (Cygnus buccinator), in which the larger males might match the average weight of the largest bustards and may weigh more on average between the sexes as they are less sexually dimorphic in mass than the giant bustards.

Other than a 23 kg (51 lb) mute swan (Cygnus olor), the maximum size of the large bustards exceeds that of other flying birds.

[16][20] Other flying African birds (excluding rare vagrant pelicans and vultures to northernmost Africa) rival the average weight between the sexes of Kori bustards, namely great white pelicans (Pelecanus onocrotalus) and Cape vultures (Gyps coprotheres) while wattled cranes (Bugeranus carunculatus) lag slightly behind these on average.

[25] However, East Africa holds the greatest diversity of bustards anywhere, including some other quite large species, and these have the potential to cause confusion.

[3][26][25] More similar to, and nearly the same size as, the kori is the closely related Arabian bustard (Ardeotis arabs) (despite its name, the latter species ranges well into East Africa).

Their distribution range extends along the Limpopo River valley into southern Mozambique and the eastern lowveld of South Africa.

Here, the species ranges from extreme southeast South Sudan, north Somalia, Ethiopia through all of Kenya (except coastal regions), Tanzania and Uganda.

[6] Kenya may hold the largest population of kori bustards of any country and it can even border on abundant in the North Eastern Province.

[26] This species occurs in open grassy areas, often characterized by sandy soil, especially Kalahari sands, and short grass usually near the cover of isolated clumps of trees or bushes.

[26] In arid grassland areas it is found along dry watercourses where patches of trees offer shade during the heat of the day.

In the Etosha National Park these birds have been recorded moving up to 85 km (53 mi) from mopane woodland to open grassland plains and returning again the following season.

[26] Trial satellite tagging of one male kori bustard by the National Museums of Kenya demonstrated a migration along the Rift Valley between Tanzania and southeastern South Sudan.

These groups are believed advantageous both in that they may ensure safety in numbers against predation and may bring the bustards to prime food sources.

Insects are an important food source, with common species such as locusts, grasshoppers, dung beetles (Scarabaeus ssp.)

[27] The males hold their heads backwards, with cheeks bulging, the crest is held erect, the bill open and they inflate their gular pouches, forming a white throat "balloon".

[32] Their wings are drooped and their tails are raised upwards and forwards onto their backs like a turkey, the rectrices being held vertically and their undertail coverts fluffed out.

[34] Occasionally fights between males can be serious during the mating season when display areas are being contested, with the two competitors smashing into each other's bodies and stabbing each other with their bills.

The female kori bustard lays her eggs on the ground in a shallow, unlined hollow, rather than the typical scrape.

In Tanzania, kori bustards regularly attend blue wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) herds and feed on the small mammals and insects disturbed by them.

They have been seen acting aggressively towards red-crested korhaans (Eupodotis ruficrista), springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis), plains zebra (Equus quagga), and gemsbok (Oryx gazella).

[26][32] While large predators such as big cats usually don't target kori bustard often since they typically hunt larger mammalian prey, caracals occasionally ambush roosting adults in particular regions.

[26] While too large to be prey for most predatory birds, it is known that the martial eagles (Polemaetus bellicosus) can be a serious natural enemy even for adult males of at least twice their own weight.

[11][32] When alarmed, kori bustards make barking calls and bend forward and spread their tail and wings to appear larger.

Appendix II of CITES and the 2000 Eskom Red Data Book for Birds lists the status of the nominate race as Vulnerable, estimating that in the next three generations, it is expected to decline by 10% in South Africa.

Habitat destruction is a major problem for the species, compounded by woody plant encroachment due to overgrazing by livestock and agricultural development.

[44] Poisons used to control locusts may also effect and collisions with overhead power wires regularly claim kori bustards.

The species is prominent in many native African cultures, variously due to its imposing, impressive size, spectacular displays by adult males or the cryptic nature of the nesting female.