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Namaqua sandgrouse

Pterocles namaqua

Photo by Benno Ibold
Published on Project Noah
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Field Notes

Description:

The sandgrouse is a medium-sized bird with a plump body, small head and short legs. It grows to a length of about 28 centimetres (11 in). The male has an orangish buff head, throat and chest delineated by a conspicuous narrow band of white and dark brown. The back and wings are mottled brown with large white specks and there are two long black filaments extending from the olive-brown tail. The colouring of the female and juvenile is more cryptic being generally various shades of brown patterned with white specks.

Habitat:

The sandgrouse is found in Angola, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho and South Africa. It is found in areas of low rainfall on sandy and gravelly plains with tussocky grass and rough vegetation.[2] In the northern part of its range the sandgrouse is resident but southern populations are migratory, moving northwards to Namibia and Botswana.

Notes:

Location Data GPS tagged.

Species ID Suggestions

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Photographed
PublishedSeptember 27, 2014

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