Burchell's courser
| Burchell's courser | |
|---|---|
 | |
| From Etosha National Park, Namibia | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Charadriiformes |
| Family: | Glareolidae |
| Genus: | Cursorius |
| Species: | C. rufus |
| Binomial name | |
| Cursorius rufus Gould, 1837 | |
The Burchell's courser (Cursorius rufus) is a wader in the pratincole and courser family, Glareolidae. The name of this bird commemorates the English naturalist William John Burchell.[2]
Although classed as waders, these are birds of dry open country, preferably semi-desert, where they typically hunt their insect prey by running on the ground.
This is a small bird that lives in the western parts of southern Africa. It feeds off of insects and seeds and lives in open, short grasslands and burnt veld. It grows to eight or nine inches in height.
References
- ↑ BirdLife International (2012). "Cursorius rufus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
- ↑ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael (2003). Whose Bird? Men and Women Commemorated in the Common Names of Birds. London: Christopher Helm. p. 72.
- Animal, Smithsonian Institution, 2005
- sabirdstamps.com
External links
- Burchells courser - Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds.
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