The northern black korhaan (''Afrotis afraoides''), also known as the white-quilled bustard, is a species 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 ...

in the

bustard Bustards, including floricans and korhaans, are large, terrestrial birds living mainly in dry grassland areas and on the steppes of the Old World. They range in length from . They make up the family Otididae (, formerly known as Otidae). Bustards ...

family,

Otididae Bustards, including floricans and korhaans, are large, terrestrial birds living mainly in dry grassland areas and on the steppes of the Old World. They range in length from . They make up the family Otididae (, formerly known as Otidae). Bustards ...

. It is widely distributed across

Southern Africa Southern Africa is the southernmost subregion of the African continent, south of the Congo and Tanzania. The physical location is the large part of Africa to the south of the extensive Congo River basin. Southern Africa is home to a number of ...

. Its habitat is primarily open grassland and scrub.

Taxonomy

The northern black korhaan was first described in 1831 by the Scottish surgeon, explorer and zoologist Andrew Smith, who gave it the specific name "''afraoides''". He placed it in the

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

Eupodotis ''Eupodotis'' is a genus of bird in the bustard family Otididae. It contains the five species, all restricted to Africa. Species in the genera ''Afrotis'' and ''Lophotis'' are sometimes included in this genus; however some authorities separate th ...

'', where it was one of two species, the other being the

southern black korhaan The southern black korhaan (''Afrotis afra''), also known as the black bustard, is a species of bird in the bustard family, Otididae. This small bustard is found in southwestern South Africa, from Namaqualand, south to Cape Town and east to Makh ...

(''Eupodotis afra''). In 1993, Dowsett and Forbes-Watson listed it as a sub-species of ''E. afra'', while Sibley and Monroe (1990 and 1993) retained it as a separate species. Then in 2014, del Hoyo and Collar transferred both species to the genus ''

Afrotis ''Afrotis'' is a genus of bustard in the family Otididae. The genus is endemic to southern Africa, and contains two species. It is sometimes included in the genus ''Eupodotis ''Eupodotis'' is a genus of bird in the bustard family Otididae. It ...

''.

Description

The male's plumage has regularly-arranged black and white barring on the back and wings, the head, neck and underparts being black. The female has the head, neck, breast and upper parts barred or chequered in black and buff, the belly being black. The primary feathers are largely white, which distinguishes this species from the southern black korhaan where they are black. Both the female and the male have red beaks and bright yellow legs.

Distribution and habitat

The northern black korhaan is found in Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho and northern South Africa. Its habitat is grassland, with vegetation up to a metre high, grassy dunes, semi-arid scrubland and open veldt.

Ecology

The northern black korhaan is a mainly ground-dwelling bird, but it does sometimes burst into flight when disturbed, the male emitting a loud, raucous "kraark, kraark" call. The male will often run away from an intruder with head and neck extended, before freezing, becoming surprisingly difficult to observe in the process. The female is less conspicuous and is seldom seen. The birds forage while walking along, feeding on and chasing after insects such as

termite Termites are small insects that live in colonies and have distinct castes (eusocial) and feed on wood or other dead plant matter. Termites comprise the infraorder Isoptera, or alternatively the epifamily Termitoidae, within the order Blattode ...

ant Ants are eusocial insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cretaceous period. More than 13,800 of an estimated total of 22 ...

grasshopper Grasshoppers are a group of insects belonging to the suborder Caelifera. They are among what is possibly the most ancient living group of chewing herbivorous insects, dating back to the early Triassic around 250 million years ago. Grasshopp ...

s and

beetle Beetles are insects that form the order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Endopterygota. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 400,000 describ ...

s, as well as

spider Spiders ( order Araneae) are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, chelicerae with fangs generally able to inject venom, and spinnerets that extrude silk. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species ...

tick Ticks (order Ixodida) are parasitic arachnids that are part of the mite superorder Parasitiformes. Adult ticks are approximately 3 to 5 mm in length depending on age, sex, species, and "fullness". Ticks are external parasites, living by ...

s and

seed A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiospe ...

s. Breeding takes place at any time of year. The male has a courtship display involving dipping flights, flaring white feathers and the ritual chasing of other birds. He displays to several females but is territorial, and drives away other males. The nest is a scrape on the ground containing one or two eggs.

Status

The

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

has assessed the conservation status of this species as being of "

least concern A least-concern species is a species that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as evaluated as not being a focus of species conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wild. T ...

". This is because it is a common species with a wide range, no particular threats have been identified, and the population seems stable.

Gallery

Afrotis afraoides01.jpg, Northern black korhaan (Afrotis afraoides) male 2, crop.jpg, Northern Black Korhaan (Afrotis afraoides) female (6447485977), crop.jpg, Afrotis afraoides00, crop.jpg, Northern Black Korhaan (Afrotis afraoides) male (6447456519) (cropped).jpg,

References

* BirdLife International 2004
Eupodotis afraoides2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
Downloaded on 24 July 2007. * Ian Sinclair, Phil Hockey, Warwick Tarboton: Birds of Southern Africa, 3rd ed., Struik Publishers, 2002 ()

External links

* Northern black korhaan (= White-winged black korhaan)
Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds
{{Taxonbar, from=Q594687

northern black korhaan The northern black korhaan (''Afrotis afraoides''), also known as the white-quilled bustard, is a species of bird in the bustard family, Otididae. It is widely distributed across Southern Africa. Its habitat is primarily open grassland and scrub ...

Birds of Southern Africa

Taxonomy articles created by Polbot