Pin-tailed Sandgrouse - BirdForum Opus

Pterocles alchata

Photo by rony_roshtov
Location: Negev, Israel

Identification

31–39 cm long. Head and upperparts yellowish-green, underparts white with a chestnut breast band, green neck. Sexes are similar, but the female is shorter tailed than the male.

Distribution

Iberia and southern France, northwest Africa, southeast Turkey east to Kazakhstan.

Taxonomy

Pterocles alchata has two subspecies:^[1]

• P. a. alchata

• Spain and southern France

• P. a. caudacutus

• Western Sahara to Middle East and western India

Habitat

Dry open treeless plains and similar habitats.

Behaviour

Its nest is a ground scrape into which 2 or 3 creamy eggs are laid. Both sexes incubate.

Flocks fly to watering holes at dawn. The call is a loud gatar-gatar.

References

1. Clements, JF. 2009. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2009. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Pin-tailed Sandgrouse. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 8 November 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Pin-tailed_Sandgrouse

External Links

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