The coursers are a group of

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 lightweigh ...

s which together with the

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 a ...

s 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

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 mudflat ...

s 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 The "Old World" is a term for Afro-Eurasia that originated in Europe , after Europeans became aware of the existence of the Americas. It is used to contrast the continents of Africa, Europe, and Asia, which were previously thought of by the ...

. They hunt insects by running. Their 2–3 eggs are laid on the ground.

Species in taxonomic order

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 h ...

''Cursorius cursor'' *

Somali courser The Somali courser (''Cursorius somalensis'') is a wader in the pratincole and courser family, Glareolidae. Although classed as waders, these are birds of dry open country, preferably semi-desert, where they typically hunt their insect prey by ...

''Cursorius somalensis'' *

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 Afri ...

''Cursorius temminckii '' *

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 ...

''Cursorius coromandelius'' *

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, an ...

''Cursorius rufus'' *

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 exte ...

or two-banded courser, ''Rhinoptilus africanus'' *

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 Z ...

or Heuglin's courser, ''Rhinoptilus cinctus'' *

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 livi ...

or violet-tipped courser, ''Rhinoptilus chalcopterus'' *

Jerdon's courser Jerdon's courser (''Rhinoptilus bitorquatus'') is a nocturnal bird belonging to the pratincole and courser family Glareolidae endemic to India. The bird was discovered by the surgeon-naturalist Thomas C. Jerdon in 1848 but not seen again until i ...

''Rhinoptilus bitorquatus''

References

* Hayman, Marchant and Prater, ''Shorebirds'' Glareolidae {{Charadriiformes-stub