Habitat preferences of great bustard Otistarda flocks in the arable steppes of central Spain: are potentially suitable areas unoccupied?

1 Great bustards Otistarda are globally endangered and 50% of the world population now occurs in agro‐steppe habitats in Spain. An understanding of the relationship between land use and the species’ habitat requirements is necessary to predict the consequences of land‐use change on this declining species. 2 A 2‐year study of great bustard substrate preferences was conducted in a large region in central Spain where most cereals are still cultivated in a traditional 2‐year rotation. 3 Great bustards showed year‐round selection of stubble fields, but avoided ploughed and uncultivated areas. Other substrate types were variously selected, avoided or used in proportion to availability depending on season. Patterns were consistent over 2 years. 4 Human artefacts such as roads, tracks and powerlines were avoided. 5 Variables correlating with flock locations could not discriminate between occupied and unoccupied but apparently suitable areas of traditionally managed cereal steppe. This suggests that great bustard distribution in central Spain is not limited by inappropriate land use in steppe areas. 6 The evidence suggests that great bustards show fidelity to sites regardless of the availability of suitable habitat elsewhere. Settlement patterns are probably determined by the presence of conspecifics rather than habitat cues. This result demonstrates the value of integrating observations of habitat use with knowledge of species’ behaviour in order to understand distribution more fully. 7 We propose that conservation efforts should be directed towards securing traditional lek sites and we make three recommendations: first all great bustard lek sites should be identified; secondly, existing European Union legislation should be used to protect these and to ensure that compatible land management practices are applied or maintained; and finally, research programmes should be conducted that aim to enhance the conservation value of stubble fields rather than simply demonstrate their selection.