Grandule pancianera

Pterocles orientalis

Uccello sottilmente bello, simile a un piccione, che si muove strisciando, con una piccola testa, un appariscente ventre nero e un petto pallido che contrasta con le sott'ali bianche e le punte delle ali nere. La coda è relativamente corta. I maschi hanno testa e collo grigi e una gola aranciata, mentre le femmine sono densamente macchiettate su tutto il corpo. Entrambi i sessi hanno un'ampia fascia pettorale color crema bordata da una vistosa striscia nera. Il richiamo è un trillo basso e gorgogliante. Più spesso visto al mattino quando visita fonti d'acqua, a volte in stormi enormi, in deserti e semideserti con vegetazione bassa.

Identificazione

The black-bellied sandgrouse is 33–39 cm (13–15 in) long and weighs 300–615 g (10.6–21.7 oz), it is likely the largest species in the sandgrouse family. The male has a grey head, neck, and breast. The underparts are black and the upperparts are golden-brown with darker markings. There is a thin black border around the lower breast and a chestnut throat patch. This sandgrouse has a small, pigeon-like head and neck, but a stocky compact body. It has long pointed wings and a fast direct flight. The white underwings and black belly make this species easy to identify while in flight. Flocks fly to watering holes at dawn.<p>The female has browner, more finely marked upper parts, including the head and the breast. The underparts and breast band are identical to the male. The eastern race is paler and heavier than orientalis. Males have yellower upperparts and greyer underparts than the western form. Females are whiter below, but often inseparable. The call is a soft chowrrr rrrr-rrrr.

Tassonomia

The black-bellied sandgrouse was formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae. He placed it with all the other grouse-like birds in the genus Tetra and coined the binomial name Tetra orientalis. The black-bellied sandgrouse is now placed with 13 other species in the genus Pterocles that was introduced in 1815 by the Dutch zoologist Coenraad Jacob Temminck. The genus name combines the Ancient Greek pteron meaning "wing" with -klēs meaning "notable" or "splendid".<p>Two subspecies are recognised:

Nome scientifico
Pterocles orientalis
Autorità
(Linnaeus, 1758)
Ordine
Pterocliformes
Famiglia
Pteroclidae
Genere
Pterocles

Areale e habitat

This gregarious species breeds on dry open plains and similar habitats, but unlike the pin-tailed sandgrouse, it avoids areas completely lacking in vegetation. Its nest is a ground scrape into which three greenish eggs with cryptic markings are laid. Both sexes incubate, but only the male brings water.

Migrazione
Complete migrants

Conservazione

Tendenza della popolazione
declining

Foto

Distribuzione

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