Family Sandgrouse (Pteroclidae)

Least Concern

Spotted Sandgrouse (Pterocles senegallus)

Taxonomy

French: Ganga tacheté German: Tropfenflughuhn Spanish: Ganga moteada

Taxonomy:

Tetrao senegallus

Linnaeus

, 1771,

Senegal; error = Algeria

Relationships uncertain; plumage characters suggest that it is closest to P. exustus. Population in extreme E of range (India) formerly separated as race remotus. Monotypic.

Distribution:

S Morocco, Western Sahara and N Mauritania E locally through Sahara Desert (S to N Mali) to Egypt, Eritrea and N Somalia, and Levant, Arabian Peninsula and S Iraq E to SW Afghanistan, S Pakistan and NW India (W Rajasthan, occurring in Thar Desert).

Descriptive notes

30–35 cm; c. 250–340 g; wingspan 53–65 cm. Only sandgrouse with elongated central rectrices lacking colour separation on breast; diagnostic longitudinal... read more

Voice

Flight call a loud double-noted “whik!-kaaw” (the first note over-slurred, second downslurred),... read more

Habitat

Sparsely vegetated semi-desert and desert, with patches of vegetation; drinking water is required... read more

Food and feeding

Consumes primarily small, hard seeds; apparently shows distinct preference for certain plants, e.g. Euphorbia guyoniana and ... read more

Breeding

Laying Mar–Jul. Nest is scrape or natural depression on ground; typically hoof-marks in Iraq, or near a stone in E Morocco. Usually 3... read more

Movements

Perhaps mostly sedentary and nomadic; wintering reported for areas of Morocco and Algeria (Oct... read more

Status and conservation

Not globally threatened. Widespread and frequent to common throughout most of extensive range. Patchily distributed in Morocco; uncommon in Arabian Peninsula. Common resident... read more

Bibliography

Public comments

Recommended citation

de Juana, E. & Boesman, P. (2020). Spotted Sandgrouse (Pterocles senegallus). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from https://www.hbw.com/node/54086 on 20 January 2020).

Scientific classification

Class: Aves

Order: Pterocliformes

Family: Pteroclidae

Genus: Pterocles Temminck, 1815

— Show genus text —

In recent genetic investigation#R, this genus as presently constituted was not recovered as monophyletic in any of the analyses, as it was rendered paraphyletic by Syrrhaptes. The placing of all species in Syrrhaptes (which pre-dates Pterocles), suggested as a possibility, would, however, mask relationships among the members of the family; alternatively, species could be grouped in three genera according to the well-supported clades found in the study; or, more conservatively, a third treatment, involving two clades, may be more appropriate. Further study clearly required.

See full taxonomic structure and notes