Lichtenstein's Sandgrouse
Pterocles lichtensteinii
Small, shy sandgrouse of harsh deserts. Beautifully patterned all over with fine black stripes. Male has black-and-white forehead pattern and broad sandy and black horizontal bars across his breast. Both sexes have a pale yellowish eyering. Rather compact with a short rear. Inhabits stony, mountainous deserts. Unlike most other sandgrouse, drinks at dusk. In flight utters odd, urgent squeaks.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Pterocles lichtensteinii
- Authority
- Temminck, 1825
- Order
- Pterocliformes
- Family
- Pteroclidae
- Genus
- Pterocles
Range and habitat
The species is found over a wide region, from near the equator in Kenya, through the Middle East to Afghanistan. In Africa it is besides found in Algeria, Chad, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Senegal, Somalia, Sudan and Uganda. In Asia it is also found in Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Prinia polychroa
A dull and poorly marked prinia with a strong bill and a long, graduated tail. Light brown above with faint dark streaking. Pale below, sometimes with some dark smudging along the sides of the breast. Found at low and moderate elevations in open dry forest, shrubby areas, and forest or agricultural edges. Can be retiring and difficult to see in dense vegetation. Sings two different song types: a dry rolling trill and a repeated two-syllabled “tulip.” Separated from other prinias by its overall plainness and lack of contrasting head markings.
Ring Ouzel
Turdus torquatus
Smart-looking dark thrush with a distinctive pale crescent on the chest; male’s is bright white, female’s is dingier. Adult blackish overall with frosty pale wing edgings. Immature in autumn–winter has a much duller collar. Bill is duller yellow than Eurasian Blackbird, with a dark top edge and tip. Rather shy, flying into cover or far away over slopes when disturbed. Breeds in open highland habitat, including moorland, alpine meadows, rocky mountain sides, and conifer stands. Migrants can turn up in fields and open farmland. Sometimes associated strongly with junipers, especially in non-breeding range. Song is pleasant but simple and repetitive; calls include a low “taktaktak” and a buzzy “zrrp, zrrp.”
Black-faced Woodswallow
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Chunky bird with broad, triangular wings and short, decurved bill. Gray above, paler gray below, with a black between eye and bill. Tail black with white tip broken by black at the center. Pale underwings contrast with gray belly in flight. Often perches prominently on the top of dead shrubs and trees.
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