AbstractDuring the last two decadesChlamydotis undulata(houbara bustard) has declined drastically throughout its range, due primarily to over‐hunting and severe habitat degradation. The threatened extinction of local populations led the National Commission for Wildlife Conservation and Development of Saudi Arabia to implement ex‐ and in‐situ conservation measures: (1) a captive breeding program initiated in 1986, which achieved production of a self‐sustaining breeding flock as well as a surplus for reintroduction by 1992; (2) establishment of a 13,775‐km2 protected area around the last known breeding population in Saudi Arabia; (3) studies of wild birds, to determine densities, feeding ecology, and habitat requirements; and (4) studies on different release techniques (adult releases, sub‐adult releases, feather‐cut sub‐adult releases, and covey releases), carried out since 1991 within the 2,300‐km2fenced and protected area of the Mahaza