Black-faced sandgrouse
| Black-faced sandgrouse | |
|---|---|
 | |
| At pair at Serengeti National Park, Tanzania | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Pteroclidiformes |
| Family: | Pteroclididae |
| Genus: | Pterocles |
| Species: | P. decoratus |
| Binomial name | |
| Pterocles decoratus Cabanis, 1868 | |
The black-faced sandgrouse (Pterocles decoratus) is a species of bird in the Pteroclididae family. It is found in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Tanzania, and Uganda.
Subspecies
There are three subspecies:[2]
- P. d. decoratus - SE Kenya and E Tanzania
- P. d. ellenbecki - NE Uganda and N Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia
- P. d. loveridgei - W Kenya and W Tanzania
Breeding Patterns
Avian species such as the sandgrouse live in semi-arid tropics and have breeding seasons in correlation to the rainfall. It is highly unpredictable for people to know the true extent or timing at which the breeding season will occur for the sandgrouse. Thus, little is known about the duration and variation of the sandgrouse’s breeding in Kenya and is thought to breed mostly during the dry season following the long rains. The reproductive organs of the sandgrouse species are known to increase largely in size during breeding season, despite the scarcity of the breeding patterns.[3]
References
- ↑ BirdLife International (2012). "Pterocles decoratus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
- ↑ "Black-faced Sandgrouse (Pterocles decoratus)". The Internet Bird Collection. Retrieved 2012-06-02.
- ↑ Njoroge, P; Lens, Luc; Sutton, J (December 2003). "The validity of open seasons for sandgrouse shooting: analysis of an 11-year data set from Kenya". African Journal of Ecology 35 (3): 186–193. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2028.1997.078-89078.x.