Devavanya Bustard Reserve

The great bustard is a bird of open grassland that can weigh over fifteen kilograms, which makes the males among the heaviest flying birds in the world, and the species collapsed across Europe as steppe was ploughed. Hungary holds one of the larger surviving populations, and the station at Devavanya has worked since the 1970s on rescuing eggs from farm machinery, rearing chicks and releasing them, alongside managing grassland for the wild birds. Visits are guided: a small centre explains the work, enclosures hold birds that cannot be released, and a tower and hides look over the puszta where wild bustards display in spring, the males inflating and turning themselves into what looks like a ball of white feathers.

The landscape

• Great bustards displaying in spring - males transformed into balls of white.
• The rearing and release station - eggs rescued from farm machinery.
• Grassland managed for the birds - the puszta kept from the plough.
• Hides and an observation tower - the way wild birds are watched here.

When to go

April to May for the display season, which is the reason to come; birds are present year round but far less visible. Half a day. Visits are guided and must be booked.

Good to know

Wild bustards are distant and wary; a telescope matters and sightings are never guaranteed. Enclosure birds are captive and not the same experience. Guiding is largely in Hungarian. The reserve is remote.

Nearby

Szarvas is west; Gyula lies south-east.