Black-faced sandgrouse

The black-faced sandgrouse (Pterocles decoratus) is a species of bird in the Pteroclidae family. It is found in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Tanzania, and Uganda.

Black-faced sandgrouse
A pair at Serengeti N. P., Tanzania
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Pterocliformes
Family: Pteroclidae
Genus: Pterocles
Species:
P. decoratus
Binomial name
Pterocles decoratus
Cabanis, 1868

Subspecies
P. d. ellenbecki ♂,♀
P. d. decoratus ♂,♀
Journal für Ornithologie

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
  1. BirdLife International (2012). "Pterocles decoratus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2013.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  2. "Black-faced Sandgrouse (Pterocles decoratus)". The Internet Bird Collection. Retrieved 2012-06-02.
  3. 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.


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