SANDGROUSE: Pterocliformes

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

Sandgrouse vary in size from 9.8 to 19 inches (25 to 48 centimeters) in length and 4.6 to 19.4 ounces (130 to 550 grams) in weight. Sandgrouse are generally colored to blend into their environments. Females and males have different coloration in most species, with females being colored more similarly to their environments. Sandgrouse are also characterized by extremely dense down that is well suited to their sometimes cold habitats. Some sandgrouse have partially feathered legs, while other species have feathers covering all of their legs and toes. Sandgrouse have short legs and long, pointed wings. They are good runners and extremely good fliers.

GEOGRAPHIC RANGE

Sandgrouse are found exclusively in the Old World, including portions of Africa, Europe, the Middle East, India, China, and Mongolia.

HABITAT

Sandgrouse are found in desert and semi-desert areas as well as in various grassland habitats.

DIET

Sandgrouse eat seeds almost exclusively. They pick seeds off the surface of the ground, and may also look for buried seeds by flicking away the surface layer of sand with their bills. Sandgrouse also drink water frequently, often daily. They drink by dipping their bills in water and sucking, and then raising their heads to swallow.

BEHAVIOR AND REPRODUCTION

Sandgrouse feed, rest, and nest on the ground. They fly to water every day, a trip that, depending on the population, can be as far as 75 miles (120 kilometers) round-trip. Sandgrouse are generally found in large flocks that can include several hundreds or even thousands of individuals. Because sandgrouse occupy desert habitats, they generally forage, or search for food, during the cooler hours of the day.

During the breeding season, sandgrouse are monogamous (muh-NAH-guh-mus), a single male mates with a single female. Nests are made by scraping the ground, often in the shade of a small plant. Nests may be lined with stones or with bits of vegetation. The female lays three eggs at a time. Sandgrouse eggs are long and spotted. The female incubates, sits on, the eggs during the day, while the male incubates during the night hours. Chicks hatch after twenty-one to thirty-one days. Parents do not feed the chicks. However, the male does provide water to the young by soaking his belly feathers with water and flying back to the nest. Chicks are able to fly after four or five weeks.

SANDGROUSE AND PEOPLE

Sandgrouse are sometimes hunted for food, usually at their watering holes.

WATERING CHICKS

Sandgrouse, which generally occupy extremely dry habitats, have an unusual way of providing water to chicks that is not seen in any other group of birds. The male parent flies to the watering hole and dips his belly feathers in water. He then flies back to the nest, where the chicks take water from his feathers. The male continues to do this regularly for several weeks, until the chicks are able to fly to the watering hole themselves.

CONSERVATION STATUS

No sandgrouse species are considered threatened at this time. However, hunting has affected some populations.

NAMAQUA SANDGROUSE (Pterocles namaqua): SPECIES ACCOUNTS

Physical characteristics: Namaqua sandgrouse are medium-sized sandgrouse that vary between 9.4 and 11 inches (24 to 28 centimeters) in length and 5 and 8.5 ounces (143 to 240 grams) in weight. The male has a yellow-olive head and breast, a maroon and white band across the breast, a brown belly, and a brown back spotted with pearl-gray. The female has brown and cream bars on most of its body, with streaks on the head and neck.

Geographic range: Namaqua sandgrouse are found in southern Africa, including southwestern Angola, Namibia, Botswana, and western South Africa.

Habitat: Namaqua sandgrouse occupy stony desert regions marked by low shrubs, as well as sandy deserts with scattered bits of grass.

Diet: Namaqua sandgrouse eat small seeds from the ground. They also drink water, usually in the first few hours after sunrise. Some individuals drink only once every three to five days.

Behavior and reproduction: Namaqua sandgrouse form large flocks of hundreds or thousands of birds. They call to each other while flying, and can reach speeds of up to 45 miles per hour (70 kilometers per hour). Namaqua sandgrouse build their nests on open ground by scraping in the soil and lining the shallow depression with pebbles and dry vegetation. Three eggs are laid by the female. The female incubates the eggs during the day. The male incubates at night. Eggs hatch after about three weeks, and chicks are able to leave the nest after twenty-four hours. However, they are dependent on the male parent for water for two to three weeks, until they are able to fly to the watering hole themselves.

Namaqua sandgrouse and people: Namaqua sandgrouse are hunted for both food and sport.

Conservation status: Namaqua sandgrouse are not considered threatened at this time. ∎

PALLAS'S SANDGROUSE (Syrrhaptes paradoxus): SPECIES ACCOUNTS

Physical characteristics: Pallas's sandgrouse are medium-sized sandgrouse that range from 15 to 16 inches (38 to 40.6 centimeters) in length and from 7.1 to 10.6 ounces (200 to 300 grams) in weight. Males are slightly larger than females. Males have orange backs barred with black, tawny necks, gray breasts, and black bellies. Females have barred backs and black bellies. The legs and the feet are feathered.

Geographic range: Pallas's sandgrouse are found in southern Russia, Tibet, Mongolia, and China. Some populations occasionally appear in Europe.

Habitat: Pallas's sandgrouse occupy steppe, a semiarid grass-covered plain, and sandy desert habitats, often with a scrub covering. They are generally found between 4,300 and 10,500 feet (1,300 to 3,200 meters) during the summer, but may occupy lower elevations during the winter.

Diet: Pallas's sandgrouse eat primarily legume seeds. Sometimes individuals also eat the green shoots of plants.

Behavior and reproduction: Pallas's sandgrouse are found in large flocks during the nonbreeding season. Most populations stay in the same place throughout the year, or move short distances, but some populations migrate large distances from breeding to wintering grounds. The wings of Pallas's sandgrouse whistle during flight. Individuals generally fly to water sometime during the morning hours. The breeding season is usually between April and June. Nests are scraped in the ground either near vegetation or out in the open. Eggs hatch after twenty-two to twenty-six days. The reproductive behavior of this species has not been studied in the wild. In captivity, only the female incubates while the male remains close by.

Pallas's sandgrouse and people: This species may occasionally be hunted for food.

Conservation status: Pallas's sandgrouse are not considered threatened at this time. ∎

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Books:

del Hoyo, J., A. Elliott, and J. Sargatal, eds. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Vol. 4, Sandgrouse to Cuckoos. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, 1997.

Johnsgard, P. A. Bustards, Hemipodes and Sandgrouse: Birds of Dry Places. Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press, 1991.

Perrins, Christopher, ed. Firefly Encyclopedia of Birds. Buffalo, NY: Firefly Books, 2003.

Web sites:

"Pteroclidae (Sandgrouse)." The Internet Bird Collection. http://www.hbw.com/ibc/phtml/familia.phtml?idFamilia=70 (accessed on June 11, 2004).