Four-banded Sandgrouse
Pterocles quadricinctus
A small, short-tailed, intricately marked sandgrouse. The distinctive male has black marks on top of the head and three bands across the underparts. The female is plainer. Both sexes have a finely barred dark belly. Found in savanna and cultivation. Usually in pairs or small groups. Similar in size and shape to Lichtenstein’s Sandgrouse, but lacks that species’ fine barring on the underparts. Female separated from female Black-faced Sandgrouse by the lack of a strong white mark across the underparts. The call is a rattling, high-pitched “brrr-eeee,” often given in flight.
Identification
The four-banded sandgrouse is 25–28 cm long. Its head, neck and upperparts are yellowish-green, with the back heavily marked with brown. The male has black and white bands on its forehead as well as black and white bands separating the breast from the heavily barred belly. The female lacks the head and breast bands and is heavily barred on the back and flanks. It has a small, pigeon-like head and neck, but a sturdy compact body. It has long pointed wings, which are grey underneath, a short tail and a fast direct flight.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Pterocles quadricinctus
- Authority
- Temminck, 1815
- Order
- Pterocliformes
- Family
- Pteroclidae
- Genus
- Pterocles
Range and habitat
This gregarious species occurs in a belt across Africa from Mauritania and Cameroon east to Sudan and Uganda. It is much more common in the west of its range. It is a partial seasonal migrant, with some birds moving further north in the rainy season. It breeds on open areas with some trees, including savanna, scrubland and similar habitats.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Flocks fly to watering holes in the evening to drink and are largely nocturnal. The call is a loud wulli-wulli, and there is much twittering at the drinking holes. The nest is a ground scrape into which 2 or 3 buff eggs with brown markings are laid. Both sexes incubate.
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Chestnut-bellied Tit
Sittiparus castaneoventris
Very small endemic songbird, with black throat and cap, white cheek, steely gray upperparts, and vivid chestnut underparts. No similar bird found in Taiwan. Inhabits forests, parks, and gardens, primarily in foothill and montane areas, where it often forages in flocks, sometimes with other species. Calls include high twittering notes and nasal notes.
Saffron Toucanet
Pteroglossus bailloni
Unmistakable yellow toucan with a long two-toned bill: half red and half greenish-yellow. The iris is pale and framed with bare red skin. Also note the red rump. Usually seen in the canopy of humid and second growth forests in small groups, sometimes descending to visit feeding stations.
Jamaican Vireo
Vireo modestus
A small inhabitant of thickets in woodlands and scrublands where it feeds by actively searching for insects within tangles; avoids mangroves and well-manicured woodlands that lack dense undergrowth. The Greater Antillean Elaenia shares this species’ wingbars and overall dull coloration, but the elaenia has prominent whitish markings around the eye and is usually found perched upright or flycatching. The Jamaican Vireo’s song includes a “chi-wee, chi-wee, chi-wee, chi-wee, you,” a “chi-wuh, chi-wuh, chi-wuh, zha,” and a “wee-wee-zhrr.” Calls include “jip,” given singly or in a series, and a harsh upslurred “zhweee.”
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