Burchell's Courser Cursorius rufus Scientific name definitions

20–22 cm; c. 75 g. Above mainly pale rufous-brown, including upperwing-coverts; forecrown sandy rust, merging into blue-grey hindcrown, bordered below by black-white-black stripes behind eye, meeting in V on nape; throat and face whitish, merging to light rufous-brown of breast bordered below by blackish-brown band, sharply demarcated from white of lower belly ; flight feathers black, secondaries broadly tipped white; underwing black with grey-brown coverts and largely white secondaries; bill black; legs whitish grey. Shade of brown of upperparts highly variable individually and seasonally, though darker than in C. cursor; new feathers darker and more richly coloured than old bleached plumage. Combination of dark belly patch, blue-grey hindcrown and extensively white secondaries separates from other members of genus. Juvenile  mottled and barred with black and buff; lacks conspicuous black-and-white head markings.

S Africa, mainly in drier regions, from SW Angola through most of Namibia and Kalahari Basin of Botswana to Western Cape, Karoo and high plateau of South Africa.

Open short-grass plains , sparse fallow fields, overgrazed and burnt grassland and pastures, bare or sparsely shrubby sandy or gravelly desert, saltpans. Uncommon in pure sandy desert, such as Kalahari, where is localized on pans and exposed stony flats .

Insects, especially harvester termites (Hodotermes mossambicus). Takes prey on ground by running quickly, stopping and pecking; also digs for food with bill in soft windblown sand under bushes and grass tufts; may also eat seeds. May occur in loose flocks of up to ten birds, but more usually in pairs.

Three different vocalizations  described, namely a single, hoarse “chuk” when bird takes off, a more grunting and doubled “chuk chuk” in flight itself, and a three-syllabled “kok-kok-kwich” or doubled “kwirrt-kwirrt” in contact.

Almost any month, but mostly Aug–Dec (Jun–Jan) (1 Tarboton, W. (2001). A Guide to the Nests and Eggs of Southern African Birds. Struik Publishers, Cape Town, South Africa. Close ), in dry season just before rains; Feb in Namibia. Monogamous and solitary, but pairs sometimes nest within 50–100 m of one another (1 Tarboton, W. (2001). A Guide to the Nests and Eggs of Southern African Birds. Struik Publishers, Cape Town, South Africa. Close ). Eggs laid on bare ground in shallow scrape, sometimes among antelope or sheep droppings or tiny stones. Clutch two eggs (rarely one), creamy white to pale stone-coloured or pale fawn, with sepia, black or grey markings, size 27·8–32·9 mm × 22·8–26·2 mm (larger and less heavily marked than those of C. temminckii) (1 Tarboton, W. (2001). A Guide to the Nests and Eggs of Southern African Birds. Struik Publishers, Cape Town, South Africa. Close ); incubation (probably by both sexes) and fledging periods unknown. Chick similar to that of C. temminckii.

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Although fairly common in drier parts of range, numbers are declining in more southerly regions, probably as a result of poor grazing practices and disturbance by domestic stock. Conservation measures are needed in stock-farming areas of South Africa. Considerable decline reported in Orange Free State.