Profiles - 4. Lord of the Steppe. The great bustard (Otis tarda) is the largest species of flying bird in Europe. Very popular in Spain among bird lovers, where it is mainly resident, it breeds in southern and central Europe and across temperate Asia. Its habitat is open grassland and undisturbed cultivation, where it feels safe. Great bustards are very shy of humans, have a very acute hearing and are very quiet, which makes observing them closely a difficult task. I managed to shot this photo after a hard long day, after more than 12 hours in the hide, with wind, cold and rain. At last, late in the afternoon, this great male bustard posed for me, against the stunning sky of clouds after a rainy day, and with the cool breeze shaking the feathers of the bird, which enhanced the regal look of this lord of the Iberian steppe lands.