The Red-crested Bustard lives in dry parts of southern Africa. During courtship, the male makes a striking display by rising steeply and rolling his body backwards.
The male has a grey head with a black band and reddish-brown feathers on the neck. The female has a browner head, a smaller crest, and a broad white band low on the chest.
During courtship, the male sings, rises steeply to about 20 metres, rolls backwards at the top, and drops with its wings spread. It usually stays on the ground and takes flight in an emergency.
It nests in a shallow ground hollow sheltered by grass or a bush, with a little straw and leaves. A typical clutch contains 2 eggs, which hatch after 19–21 days.
Chicks leave the nest site a few days after hatching and follow their mother.
The bill is short and gray, and the legs are yellowish gray. Immature birds resemble females.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.