Pteroclidae – Sandgrouses

Possess exceptional powers for sustained flight and are also quite good runners!

Pterocliformes are land-dwelling birds found in deserts and semi-desert regions, dry savannas, short grass steppes, and generally in treeless open country lands of Africa and Asia.

Not surprising that all members of this order have ‘Sandgrouse’ as a common name. These little birds are intelligent enough always to be close to a water body!

These seed eaters are medium-sized birds with small heads, sturdy, stocky bodies, and pretty, camouflaged plumage. While these birds feed, roost, and nest on the ground, their long pointed wings give them surprising powers of flight. They make a trip to and from a water body almost every day, sometimes covering up to 100 km (62 miles) in a day!

The Pin-tailed, the Double Banded, and the Crowned Sandgrouse are among this order’s many exceptionally pretty-looking species.