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Coursers
The coursers are a group of birds which together with the pratincoles make up the family Glareolidae. They have long legs, short wings and long pointed bills which curve downwards. Their most unusual feature for birds classed as waders is that they inhabit deserts and similar arid regions. They have cryptic plumage and crouch down when alarmed to avoid detection by predators. Like the pratincoles, the coursers are found in warmer parts of the Old World. They hunt insects by running. Their 2–3 eggs are laid on the ground. Species in taxonomic order *Cream-colored courser ''Cursorius cursor'' *Somali courser ''Cursorius somalensis'' *Temminck's courser ''Cursorius temminckii '' *Indian courser ''Cursorius coromandelius'' *Burchell's courser ''Cursorius rufus'' *Double-banded courser or two-banded courser, ''Rhinoptilus africanus'' *Three-banded courser or Heuglin's courser, ''Rhinoptilus cinctus'' *Bronze-winged courser or violet-tipped courser, ''Rhinoptilus chalcopterus'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bronze-winged Courser
The bronze-winged courser or violet-tipped courser (''Rhinoptilus chalcopterus'') is a species of bird in the family Glareolidae. This species is named for its characteristic bronze-tipped feathers that are visible during flight. It is found living throughout Sub-Saharan Africa, inhabiting semi-arid savannas and woodlands. This is a nocturnal species which mainly feeds on ground-dwelling insects. Bronze-winged coursers are typically solitary, only forming monogamous pairs for breeding. A female may produce 2-3 eggs per clutch, and the chicks receive parental care from both sexes when young. The bronze-winged courser is considered of Least Concern for conservation status, and is thought to be a very stable species. Description The bronze-winged courser is a species of small wading birds with long legs and short wings. The bronze-winged courser is the largest of the coursers, with a body length of 25-29 centimeters, a wingspan up to 58 centimeters, and body weight between 91 and 2 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cream-colored Courser
The cream-colored courser (''Cursorius cursor'') is a wader in the pratincole and courser family, Glareolidae. Both parts of the scientific name derive from Latin ''cursor'', "runner", from ''currere'', "to run" which describes their usual habit as they hunt their insect prey on the ground in dry open semi-desert regions of Western Asia and northern Africa. Range These coursers are found in Canary Islands, Cape Verde, North Africa and Southwest Asia. Their two eggs are laid in a ground scrape. The breeding season extends from February to September, but they may breed also in autumn and winter when local conditions (especially rainfall) are favourable.Amezian, M., Bergier, P. & Qninba, A. 2014Autumn-winter breeding by Cream-coloured Coursers ''Cursorius cursor'' is more common than previously reported. ''Wader Study Group Bulletin'' 121: 177-180. They are partially migratory, with northern and northwestern birds wintering in India, Arabia and across the southern edge of the Saha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Indian Courser
The Indian courser (''Cursorius coromandelicus'') is a species of courser found in mainland South Asia, mainly in the plains bounded by the Ganges and Indus river system. Like other coursers, it is a ground bird that can be found in small groups as they forage for insects in dry open semi-desert country. Taxonomy The Indian courser was formally described in 1789 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's ''Systema Naturae''. He placed it with the plovers in the genus ''Charadrius'' and coined the binomial name ''Charadrius coromandelicus''. Gmelin based his description on the "Coromandel plover" that had been described in 1785 by the English ornithologist John Latham in his ''A General Synopsis of Birds''. Latham in turn based his own description on a hand-coloured print that accompanied Comte de Buffon's ''Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux ''. The Indian courser is now placed in the genus ''Cursorius'' that was introduc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Burchell's Courser
Burchell's courser (''Cursorius rufus'') is a wader in the pratincole and courser family, Glareolidae. The name of this bird commemorates the English naturalist William John Burchell. Native to Africa, Burchell's courser is a small, diurnal, and terrestrial bird that lives in the western parts of southern Africa. Although classed as waders, these are birds of dry open country, preferably semi-desert, where they typically hunt their insect prey (usually Harvester Termites) by running on the ground. It principally feeds off of insects and lives in open, short grasslands and burnt veld. It grows up to 22 cm and on average weighs about 75 g as an adult. Description Burchell's courser has a graceful figure and an upright posture. It has a blue-grey hind crown which is mainly how it differs from the similar Temminck's Courser. It also has a horizontal black band demarcating a white underbelly, and an overall pale rufous colour. Its face features white supercilia above bla ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cursorius
'' Cursorius '' is a genus of coursers, a group of wading birds. The genus name derive from Latin ''cursor'' meaning "runner". There are five species which breed in Africa and South Asia. They have long legs, short wings and long pointed bills which curve downwards. Although classed as waders, they inhabit deserts and similar arid regions. Like the pratincoles, the coursers are found in warmer parts of the Old World. They hunt insects by sight, pursuing them on foot. Their 2–3 eggs are laid on the ground. Taxonomy The genus ''Cursorius'' was introduced in 1790 by the English ornithologist John Latham. The type species was subsequently designated as the cream-colored courser. The genus name is derive from Latin ''cursor'' meaning "runner", from ''currere'', "to run". The genus contains five species: *Cream-colored courser (''Cursorius cursor'') *Somali courser (''Cursorius somalensis'') *Burchell's courser (''Cursorius rufus'') *Temminck's courser (''Cursorius temminckii'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pratincole
The pratincoles or greywaders are a group of birds which together with the coursers make up the family Glareolidae. They have short legs, very long pointed wings and long forked tails. Description Their most unusual feature for birds classed as waders is that they typically hunt their insect prey on the wing like swallows, although they can also feed on the ground. Their short bills are an adaptation to aerial feeding. Their flight is fast and graceful like a swallow or a tern, with many twists and turns to pursue their prey. They are most active at dawn and dusk, resting in the warmest part of the day. Like the coursers, the pratincoles are found in warmer parts of the Old World, from southern Europe and Africa east through Asia to Australia. Species breeding in temperate regions are long-distance migrants. Their two to four eggs are laid on the ground in a bare scrape. The downy pratincole chicks are able to run as soon as they are hatched. The Australian pratincole, the o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Double-banded Courser
The double-banded courser (''Rhinoptilus africanus''), also known as the two-banded courser, is a species of bird in the family Glareolidae. Description The bird's crown is pale and streaked with brown/black feathers. A narrow black stripe extends from the base of the bill, through the eye to the nape. The cheeks, chin, throat and neck are buff/white flecked with dark brown. The feather of the back and wing coverts are sandy brown with dark centres and broadly edged with white/buff. The short bill is blackish, eyes are dark brown and the legs and feet are pale grey. Distribution and habitat The double-banded courser is found in Ethiopia, Somalia, South Africa, and Tanzania. The bird is widespread enough to have practically no chance of becoming endangered or extinct. The double-banded courser lives and breeds in flat, stony or gravelly, semi-desert terrains with firm, sandy soil and tufty grass or thorn scrub. Behaviour Breeding Double-banded coursers breed in monogamous pairs ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rhinoptilus
'' Rhinoptilus '' is a genus of coursers, a group of wading birds. There are three species, which breed in Africa and South Asia. They have long legs, short wings and long pointed bills which curve downwards. Although classed as waders, they inhabit deserts and similar arid regions. Like the pratincoles, the coursers are found in warmer parts of the Old World. They hunt insects by sight, pursuing them on foot. Species in the genus have earlier been placed under other genus names including ''Macrotarsius'' (Blyth), ''Chalcopterus'' (Reich.) and ''Hemerodromus'' (Heuglin). Some characteristics of this largely African genus include a bill that is shorter and stouter than in ''Cursorius'', the orbits are feathered and the 2nd and 3rd primaries nearly equal and the longest. The tarsus is long and scutellate, the feet are short and the outer toe is joined by partial webbing.Jerdon, T. C. (1864) The Birds of India. Volume 3. p. 628 Their 2–3 eggs are laid on the ground. Species in t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Temminck's Courser
Temminck's courser (''Cursorius temminckii'') is a bird in the pratincole and courser family, Glareolidae. It is a wader which lives in sub-Saharan Africa. It is noted for laying its dark ash-black eggs in the burnt bushes and grass of the African savannah. Subspecies There are three subspecies of Temminck's courser: *''C. t. temminckii'', ( Swainson, 1822): Senegal to Ethiopia, Kenya and northern Tanzania *''C. t. ruvanensis'', ( Madarász, 1915): southern Tanzania to Angola, Mozambique & northeast South Africa *''C. t. aridus'', ( Clancey, 1989): northern Namibia to western Zimbabwe This bird's common name and Latin binomial commemorate the Dutch naturalist Coenraad Jacob Temminck. References * Temminck's courser Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds Temminck's courser Temminck's courser (''Cursorius temminckii'') is a bird in the pratincole and courser family, Glareolidae. It is a wader which lives in sub-Saharan Africa. It is noted for laying its ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Three-banded Courser
The three-banded courser (''Rhinoptilus cinctus'') is a species of bird in the family Glareolidae. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Ethiopia, Kenya, Namibia, Rwanda, Somalia, Somaliland, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Subspecies There are five subspecies of three-banded courser: *''R. c. mayaudi'', (Érard, Hemery & Pasquet, 1993): Ethiopia & northern Somalia *''R. c. balsaci'', (Érard, Hemery & Pasquet, 1993): southern Somalia & northeast Kenya *''R. c. cinctus'', (Theodor von Heuglin, Heuglin, 1863): southeast South Sudan & northwest Kenya *''R. c. emini'', (Otto_Eduard_Graf_von_Zedlitz_und_Trützschler, Zedlitz, 1914): southern Kenya, Tanzania & northern Zambia *''R. c. seeboehmi'', (Richard Bowdler Sharpe, Sharpe, 1893): southern Angola & northern Namibia to Zimbabwe & northern South Africa Gallery Heuglin's courser (Rhinoptilus cinctus emini) female.jpg, ''R. c. emini'', Lake Baringo, Kenya Heuglin's courser (Rhinoptilus cinctus) pair.jp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bird
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweight skeleton. Birds live worldwide and range in size from the bee hummingbird to the ostrich. There are about ten thousand living species, more than half of which are passerine, or "perching" birds. Birds have whose development varies according to species; the only known groups without wings are the extinct moa and elephant birds. Wings, which are modified forelimbs, gave birds the ability to fly, although further evolution has led to the loss of flight in some birds, including ratites, penguins, and diverse endemic island species. The digestive and respiratory systems of birds are also uniquely adapted for flight. Some bird species of aquatic environments, particularly seabirds and some waterbirds, have further evolved for swimming. B ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wader
245px, A flock of Dunlins and Red knots">Red_knot.html" ;"title="Dunlins and Red knot">Dunlins and Red knots Waders or shorebirds are birds of the order Charadriiformes commonly found wikt:wade#Etymology 1, wading along shorelines and mudflats in order to foraging, forage for food crawling or burrowing in the mud and sand, usually small arthropods such as aquatic insects or crustaceans. The term "wader" is used in Europe, while "shorebird" is used in North America, where "wader" may be used instead to refer to long-legged wading birds such as storks and herons. There are about 210 species of wader, most of which live in wetland or coastal environments. Many species of Arctic and temperate regions are strongly migratory, but tropical birds are often resident, or move only in response to rainfall patterns. Some of the Arctic species, such as the little stint, are amongst the longest distance migrants, spending the non- breeding season in the southern hemisphere. Many of the s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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