A migratory bird species.
Name - Origin
Migratory birds that visit Cyprus rarely. They migrate from Europe to the Middle East and vice versa. They appear in very small populations in Karpasia and Mesaoria. Otis tarda has the size of a domesticated turkey. Its head and neck are pale ash-coloured, the upper part of its body is reddish-brown with black streaks, while the colour of its abdomen is white. The male has wings near the mouth that look like whiskers. The length of the male bird reaches 40 cm, while that of the female is 30 cm. During the breeding season, the male dances skillfully around the female for a long time. Otis tetrax resembles the otis tardar, but it is much shorter, reaching 17cm in length and the male has a jet-black throat (Great Encyclopedia of Cyprus, vol. 2, entry on αρκόγαλος,ο, 300).
This name (arkogalos) represents two species of migratory birds of the family Otididae: Otis tarda and Otis tetrax (Great Encyclopedia of Cyprus, vol. 2, entry αρκόγαλος,ο, 300).
Functional and symbolic role
The meat of the arkogalos is very tasty and expensive (Great Encyclopedia of Cyprus, vol. 2, entry αρκόγαλος,ο, 300).
The last time Otis tarda was observed in Cyprus was in 1974 on the Karpasia peninsula, along with many wild geese. At that time about 25 birds were shot by hunters. Otis tetrax was first reported in Cyprus in 1820, "when such a bird was killed by Baron von Sack's and to this day it is in a museum in Berlin. Another account, by Bucknill, states that in January 1910, when the winter was very severe, twelve such birds were killed in Mesaoria" (Great Encyclopedia of Cyprus, vol. 2, entry on αρκόγαλος,ο, 300).
Additional information and bibliography
Pavlides A. (ed.) (1985), Great Encyclopedia of Cyprus, vol. 2, Filokypros, Nicosia.
Kyriaki Panteli, Argyro Xenophontos