Diorama of great bustards (Otis tarda)

This magnificent diorama made by José María Benedito in 1918 fully reflects the bustard, also known as the queen of the steppe. This species that centuries before was distributed throughout Europe, has disappeard from almost all the European countries, except Spain where there are important populations. The male and two females from this group were killed in 1916 in Brunete (Madrid); the third female, was hunted in Valencia in 1906. A century after, the bustard has disappeared in Madrid and Valencia. To give realism to the scene, the Benedito brothers went to Brunete to examin the field and to recreate it they asked for sheaves of wheat to the owner of the farm and they put them at the bottom of the showcase.