Pterocles

Pterocles is a genus of near passerine birds in the sandgrouse family. It includes all the species in the family except for two central Asian species in Syrrhaptes.

These sandgrouse have small, pigeon-like heads and necks, but sturdy compact bodies. They have long pointed wings and sometimes tails. Their legs are feathered down to the toes, but unlike species of the genus Syrrhaptes the toes are not feathered.

Pterocles species have a fast direct flight, and flocks fly to watering holes at dawn and dusk.

Two to three eggs are laid directly on the ground. They are buff or greenish with cryptic markings. All species are resident.

Taxonomy

The genus Pterocles was introduced in 1815 by the Dutch zoologist Coenraad Jacob Temminck.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The type species was subsequently designated by the English zoologist George Robert Gray as the pin-tailed sandgrouse.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The genus name combines the Ancient Greek {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} pteron meaning "wing" with {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} -klēs meaning "notable" or "splendid".<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Species

The genus contains 14 extant species:<ref name=ioc>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Image	Common Name	Scientific name	Distribution
File:Pin-tailed sandgrouse (Pterocles alchata).jpg	Pin-tailed sandgrouse	Pterocles alchata	North Africa and the Middle East, Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Kazakhstan, Spain, Portugal
File:2012-namaqua-sandgrouse-male.jpg	Namaqua sandgrouse	Pterocles namaqua	Angola, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho and South Africa
File:Chestnut-bellied-sandgrouse-famale.jpg	Chestnut-bellied sandgrouse	Pterocles exustus	central and northern Africa, and southern Asia
File:Spotted Sandgrouse (4803937997) (cropped).jpg	Spotted sandgrouse	Pterocles senegallus	Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Sudan, Egypt, Eritrea, Somalia, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Mali, Mauritania, Chad and Niger
File:Pterocles orientalis arenarius 304552958.jpg	Black-bellied sandgrouse	Pterocles orientalis	Iberia, northwest Africa, the Canary Islands, Turkey, Iran, Cyprus and Israel
File:Pterocles coronatus.jpg	Crowned sandgrouse	Pterocles coronatus	North Africa and the Middle East.
File:2009-Yellow-throated-sandgrouse.jpg	Yellow-throated sandgrouse	Pterocles gutturalis	Angola, Botswana, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
File:Burchell's sandgrouse, Pterocles burchelli, at Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Northern Cape, South Africa (35283376362), crop.jpg	Burchell's sandgrouse	Pterocles burchelli	Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa
File:Pterocles personatus 2089035, crop.jpg	Madagascar sandgrouse	Pterocles personatus	Madagascar
File:Pterocles decoratus -Serengeti National Park, Tanzania -pair-8.jpg	Black-faced sandgrouse	Pterocles decoratus	Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Tanzania, and Uganda.
File:Lichtenstein's Sandgrouse P1016900 DxO, crop.jpg	Lichtenstein's sandgrouse	Pterocles lichtensteinii	Algeria, Chad, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Senegal, Somalia, Sudan, Uganda, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
File:Pterocles bicinctus -Kruger National Park, South Africa -two-8.jpg	Double-banded sandgrouse	Pterocles bicinctus	southern Africa.
File:Painted Sandgrouse Male (50325876266).jpg	Painted sandgrouse	Pterocles indicus	Bangladesh, India and Pakistan.
File:Four-banded sandgrouse (Pterocles quadricinctus) female.jpg	Four-banded sandgrouse	Pterocles quadricinctus	Africa from Mauritania and Cameroon east to Sudan and Uganda

A fossil species, Pterocles bosporanus, is known from the early Pleistocene of Crimea.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

External links

• Sandgrouse videos on the Internet Bird Collection