'' Rhinoptilus '' is a genus of

courser 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 ...

s, a group of wading

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. There are three species, which breed in

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

and

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;;;;; ...

. They have long legs, short wings and long pointed bills which curve downwards. Although 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, they inhabit deserts and similar arid regions. Like 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, 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 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 '' 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 ...

'', 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 taxonomic order

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 ...

''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'' *

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 ...

, ''Rhinoptilus africanus''

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q648113 Bird genera