Reportedly, this species – a southern African arid/semi-arid savannah/grassland specialist – will sometimes fly 120 kilometres from its nest, in order to find water.
Happily, for many Burchell’s sandgrouse this is no longer necessary; boring humans – well, humans who sink bores – have proved a boon to Pterocles burchelli.
Named after an English naturalist, they are somewhat pigeon-like in appearance…but not in their abilities and behaviour.
The particularly notable sandgrouse adaptation (am not sure it applies to all sandgrouse species, but it is certainly true of this one) is their ability to use their belly feathers to gather and store water.
Only the (ever-alert) adults make the risky trip to drink at a watering point; “waterholes” are a magnet for thirsty prey…and ditto for hungry predators.
Burchell’s sandgrouse – the males, especially, I think – bring feather-stored water back to their chicks.
Males are easy to distinguish: they have yellow “rings” around their eyes.
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Photo is copyright Doug Spencer, taken at Okonjima, Namibia at 9.12 am on 05 November 2022.