Sandgrouse

Sandgrouse have small, pigeon-like heads and necks and sturdy compact bodies. They range in size from 24 to 40 centimetres (9.4 to 15.7 in) in length and from 150 to 500 grams (5.3 to 17.6 oz) in weight. The adults are sexually dimorphic with the males being slightly larger and more brightly colored than the females. They have eleven strong primary feathers and long pointed wings, giving them a fast and direct flight. The muscles of the wings are powerful and the birds are capable of rapid take off and sustained flight. In some species, the central feathers in the tail are extended into long points.

The legs are short and members of the genus Syrrhaptes have feathers growing on both the legs and toes, and no hind toes, while members of the genus Pterocles have legs feathered just at the front, no feathers on the toes, and rudimentary hind toes raised off the ground.[1]

The plumage is cryptic, generally being in shades of sandy brown, grey and buff, and variously mottled and barred, enabling the birds to merge into the dusty landscape. There is a dense layer of under down which helps insulate the bird from extremes of heat and cold. The feathers of the belly are specially adapted for absorbing water and retaining it, allowing adults, particularly males, to carry water to chicks that may be many miles away from watering holes.[2][3] The amount of water that can be carried in this way is 15 to 20 millilitres (0.5 to 0.7 fluid ounces).[4]

Pallas's sandgrouse in a field in the Gobi Desert

Members of the genus Syrrhaptes are found in the steppes of central Asia. Their range extends from the Caspian Sea through southern Siberia, Tibet, and Mongolia to northern and central China. They are normally resident, but Pallas's sandgrouse can be locally migratory and very occasionally is irruptive, appearing in areas well outside its normal range. This happened in 1863 and 1888, and a major irruption took place in 1908 when many birds were seen as far afield as Ireland and the United Kingdom where they bred in Yorkshire and Moray.[3][4]

Members of the genus Pterocles are mainly found in the drier parts of northern, eastern, and southern Africa, though the range of some species extends into the Middle East and western Asia. The Madagascar sandgrouse is restricted to Madagascar. The black-bellied sandgrouse and the pin-tailed sandgrouse also occur in Spain, Portugal, and southern France. Most species are sedentary though some make local migrations, typically to lower altitudes in winter.[4]

The Pteroclidae was formerly included in the Galliformes due to the similarities the family shares with the true grouse. However, it was later discovered that these similarities are superficial and a result of convergent evolution.[8] Sandgrouse were later placed near the Columbiformes largely due to their reported ability to drink by the "sucking" or "pumping" action of peristalsis of the esophagus, an unusual characteristic.[9] More recently, it has been reported that they cannot suck up water in this way,[10] and they are now treated separately in the order Pterocliformes. They have been considered near passerine birds, and are thought by some to be closer to the shorebirds (Charadriiformes).[11]

In the DNA-study by Fain and Houde (2004)[12] they were included in the Metaves, together with the Columbiformes. In the larger study by Hackett et al. (2008)[13] they were once again positioned close to the Columbiformes, in Columbimorphae, but also with the Mesites. The intricately patterned, precocial downy young, and egg colouration (though not shape) closely resemble those of many Charadriiformes. Eggs are near elliptical.[13]

Species

Sandgrouse
Common and binomial names[15]	Image	Description, range and status	Egg
Pin-tailed sandgrouse Pterocles alchata (Linnaeus, 1766)		Length 31 to 39 centimetres (12 to 15 in) There are two subspecies:[16] P. a. alchata – Spain, Portugal, France, north west Africa P. a. caudacutus – Middle East, Turkey and eastward to Kazakhstan Status: Least concern
Double-banded sandgrouse Pterocles bicinctus Temminck, 1815		Length 31 to 39 centimetres (12 to 15 in) There are three subspecies:[17] P. b. ansorgei – south west Angola P. b. bicinctus – Namibia, Botswana, north west Cape Province P. b. multicolor – Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique and Transvaal Status: Least concern
Burchell's sandgrouse Pterocles burchelli Sclater, 1922		Length 25 cm (10 in) Monotypic[18] Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa Status: Least concern
Crowned sandgrouse Pterocles coronatus Lichtenstein, 1823		There are five subspecies:[19] P. c. atratus – Saudi Arabia, Iran, Afghanistan P. c. coronatus – Sahara, Morocco to Red Sea P. c. ladas – Pakistan P. c. saturatus – Oman P. c. vastitas – Sinai, Israel, Jordan Status: Least concern
Black-faced sandgrouse Pterocles decoratus Cabanis, 1868		There are three subspecies:[20] P. d. decoratus – south east Kenya and east Tanzania P. d. ellenbecki – north east Uganda, north Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia P. d. loveridgei – west Kenya, west Tanzania Status: Least concern
Chestnut-bellied sandgrouse Pterocles exustus Temminck, 1825 (Pictured on left)		There are six subspecies:[21] P. e. ellioti – Sudan, Eritrea, north Ethiopia, Somalia P. e. erlangeri – Saudi Arabia, Gulf States, Yemen P. e. exustus – Mauritania to Sudan P. e. floweri – Egypt (almost certainly extinct) P. e. hindustan – south east Iran, Pakistan, India P. e. olivascens – south Ethiopia, Kenya, north Tanzania Status: Least concern
Yellow-throated sandgrouse Pterocles gutturalis Smith, 1836		There are two subspecies:[22] P. g. gutturalis – south Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, South Africa P. g. saturatior – Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, north Zambia Status: Least concern
Painted sandgrouse Pterocles indicus (Gmelin, 1789)		Monotypic[23] India Status: Least concern
Lichtenstein's sandgrouse Pterocles lichtensteinii Temminck, 1825		There are five subspecies:[24] P. l. targius – Sahara, Sahel, south Morocco to Chad P. l. lichtensteinii – Israel, Sinai, Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia P. l. sukensis – Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya P. l. ingramsi – Yemen P. l. arabicus – Saudi Arabia, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan Status: Least concern
Namaqua sandgrouse Pterocles namaqua (Gmelin, 1789)		Length 31 to 39 centimetres (12 to 15 in) Monotypic[25] Angola, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, South Africa Status: Least concern
Black-bellied sandgrouse Pterocles orientalis (Linnaeus, 1758)		There are two subspecies:[26] P. o. arenarius – Kazakhstan, Pakistan and western China P. o. orientalis – Northwest Africa, Canary Islands, Iberian Peninsula, Cyprus, Middle East, Turkey and Iran Status: Least concern
Madagascan sandgrouse Pterocles personatus Gould, 1843		Monotypic[27] Madagascar Status: Least concern
Four-banded sandgrouse Pterocles quadricinctus (Temminck, 1815)		Length 25 to 28 centimetres (9.8 to 11.0 in) Monotypic[28] Central Africa Status: Least concern
Spotted sandgrouse Pterocles senegallus (Linnaeus, 1771)		Length 33 centimetres (13 in) Monotypic[29] Northern Africa, Middle East and western Asia Status: Least concern
Tibetan sandgrouse Syrrhaptes tibetanus (Gould, 1850)		Length 30 to 41 centimetres (12 to 16 in) Monotypic[30] Mountains of central Asia, Tibet and central China Status: Least concern
Pallas's sandgrouse Syrrhaptes paradoxus (Pallas, 1773)		Length 30 to 41 centimetres (12 to 16 in) Monotypic[31] Mountains and steppes of central Asia Status: Least concern

Sandgrouse have little interaction with people, primarily because most species live in arid unpopulated areas and at low densities. They are not generally sought after as game birds as they are not especially palatable, although they have on occasion been taken in great numbers at water holes. An attempt to introduce them into Nevada failed but they have been introduced to Hawaii.[32] No species is considered to be threatened although there have been some localised range contractions, particularly in Europe.[33] A subspecies of the chestnut-bellied sandgrouse, P. e. floweri, was last seen in the Nile Valley of Egypt in 1979. It is thought to be extinct, but the reasons for this are unknown.[34]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pteroclidae.

• Sandgrouse videos on the Internet Bird Collection
• "Sand-grouse" . New International Encyclopedia. 1905.