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Family of birds
the ornithological journal

Sandgrouse is the common name for Pteroclidae /t//E/'/r//Q//k//l//ᵻ//d//iː/, a family of sixteen species of bird, members of the order Pterocliformes ,/t//E//r//@//k//l//ᵻ//f//ɔr//m//iː//z/. They are traditionally placed in two genera. The two central Asian species are classified as Syrrhaptes and the other fourteen species, from Africa and Asia, are placed in the genus Pterocles. They are ground dwelling birds restricted to treeless, open country, such as plains, savannahs, and semi deserts. They are distributed across northern, southern, and eastern Africa, Madagascar, the Middle East, and India through central Asia. The ranges of the black bellied sandgrouse and the pin tailed sandgrouse even extend into the Iberian Peninsula and France, and Pallas's sandgrouse occasionally breaks out in large numbers from its normal range in Asia.

Sandgrouse have small, pigeon like heads and necks and sturdy compact bodies. They range in size from in length and from in weight. The adults are sexually dimorphic with the males being slightly larger and more brightly colored than the females. They have eleven strong primary feathers and long pointed wings, giving them a fast and direct flight. The muscles of the wings are powerful and the birds are capable of rapid take off and sustained flight. In some species, the central feathers in the tail are extended into long points. The legs are short and members of the genus Syrrhaptes have feathers growing on both the legs and toes, and no hind toes, while members of the genus Pterocles have legs feathered just at the front, no feathers on the toes, and rudimentary hind toes raised off the ground. The plumage is cryptic, generally being in shades of sandy brown, grey and buff, and variously mottled and barred, enabling the birds to merge into the dusty landscape. There is a dense layer of under down which helps insulate the bird from extremes of heat and cold. The feathers of the belly are specially adapted for absorbing water and retaining it, allowing adults, particularly males, to carry water to chicks that may be many miles away from watering holes. The amount of water that can be carried in this way is 15 to 20 millilitres (0.5 to 0.7 fluid ounces).

Members of the genus Syrrhaptes are found in the steppes of central Asia. Their range extends from the Caspian Sea through southern Siberia, Tibet, and Mongolia to northern and central China. They are normally resident, but Pallas's sandgrouse can be locally migratory and very occasionally is irruptive, appearing in areas well outside its normal range. This happened in 1863 and 1888, and a major irruption took place in 1908 when many birds were seen as far afield as Ireland and the United Kingdom where they bred in Yorkshire and Moray. Grit is also swallowed to help grind up food in the gizzard. They are vulnerable to attack while watering but with a large number of birds milling about, predators find it difficult to select a target bird and are likely to have been spotted before they can get close to the flock. Sandgrouse travel tens of miles to their traditional water holes and tend to disregard temporary water sources which may appear periodically. This clearly has a survival value, because a dried up water source in an arid region could result in dehydration and death. Sandgrouse were later placed near the Columbiformes largely due to their reported ability to drink by the "sucking" or "pumping" action of peristalsis of the esophagus, an unusual characteristic. More recently, it has been reported that they cannot suck up water in this way, and they are now treated separately in the order Pterocliformes. They have been considered near passerine birds, and are thought by some to be closer to the shorebirds (Charadriiformes). In the DNA study by Fain and Houde (2004) they were included in the Metaves, together with the Columbiformes. In the larger study by Hackett et al. (2008) they were once again positioned close to the Columbiformes, in Columbimorphae, but also with the Mesites.

Living Pterocliformes, based on the work by John Boyd.

Sandgrouse Common and binomial names Image Description, range and status Egg Pin tailed sandgrouse Pterocles alchata (Linnaeus, 1766) Length There are two subspecies: P. a. alchata – Spain, Portugal, France, north west Africa P. a. caudacutus – Middle East, Turkey and eastward to Kazakhstan Status: Least concern Double banded sandgrouse Pterocles bicinctus Temminck, 1815 Length There are three subspecies: P. b. ansorgei – south west Angola P. b. bicinctus – Namibia, Botswana, north west Cape Province P. b. multicolor – Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique and Transvaal Status: Least concern Burchell's sandgrouse Pterocles burchelli Sclater, 1922 Length Monotypic Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa Status: Least concern Crowned sandgrouse Pterocles coronatus Lichtenstein, 1823 There are five subspecies: P. c. atratus – Saudi Arabia, Iran, Afghanistan P. c. coronatus – Sahara, Morocco to Red Sea P. c. ladas – Pakistan P. c. saturatus – Oman P. c. vastitas – Sinai, Israel, Jordan Status: Least concern Black faced sandgrouse Pterocles decoratus Cabanis, 1868 There are three subspecies: P. d. decoratus – south east Kenya and east Tanzania P. d. ellenbecki – north east Uganda, north Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia P. d. loveridgei – west Kenya, west Tanzania Status: Least concern Chestnut bellied sandgrouse Pterocles exustus Temminck, 1825 (Pictured on left) There are six subspecies: P. e. ellioti – Sudan, Eritrea, north Ethiopia, Somalia P. e. erlangeri – Saudi Arabia, Gulf States, Yemen P. e. exustus – Mauritania to Sudan P. e. floweri – Egypt (almost certainly extinct) P. e. hindustan – south east Iran, Pakistan, India P. e. olivascens – south Ethiopia, Kenya, north Tanzania Status: Least concern Yellow throated sandgrouse Pterocles gutturalis Smith, 1836 There are two subspecies: P. g. gutturalis – south Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, South Africa P. g. saturatior – Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, north Zambia Status: Least concern Painted sandgrouse Pterocles indicus (Gmelin, 1789) Monotypic India Status: Least concern Lichtenstein's sandgrouse Pterocles lichtensteinii Temminck, 1825 There are five subspecies: P. l. targius – Sahara, Sahel, south Morocco to Chad P. l. lichtensteinii – Israel, Sinai, Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia P. l. sukensis – Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya P. l. ingramsi – Yemen P. l. arabicus – Saudi Arabia, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan Status: Least concern Namaqua sandgrouse Pterocles namaqua (Gmelin, 1789) Length Monotypic Angola, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, South Africa Status: Least concern Black bellied sandgrouse Pterocles orientalis (Linnaeus, 1758) There are two subspecies: P. o. arenarius – Kazakhstan, Pakistan and western China P. o. orientalis – Northwest Africa, Canary Islands, Iberian Peninsula, Cyprus, Middle East, Turkey and Iran Status: Least concern Madagascar sandgrouse Pterocles personatus Gould, 1843 Monotypic Madagascar Status: Least concern Four banded sandgrouse Pterocles quadricinctus (Temminck, 1815) Length Monotypic Central Africa Status: Least concern Spotted sandgrouse Pterocles senegallus (Linnaeus, 1771) Length Monotypic Northern Africa, Middle East and western Asia Status: Least concern Tibetan sandgrouse Syrrhaptes tibetanus (Gould, 1850) Length Monotypic Mountains of central Asia, Tibet and central China Status: Least concern Pallas's sandgrouse Syrrhaptes paradoxus (Pallas, 1773) Length Monotypic Mountains and steppes of central Asia Status: Least concern

Sandgrouse have little interaction with people, primarily because most species live in arid unpopulated areas and at low densities. They are not generally sought after as game birds as they are not especially palatable, although they have on occasion been taken in great numbers at water holes. An attempt to introduce them into Nevada failed but they have been introduced to Hawaii. No species is considered to be threatened although there have been some localised range contractions, particularly in Europe. A subspecies of the chestnut bellied sandgrouse, P. e. floweri, was last seen in the Nile Valley of Egypt in 1979. It is thought to be extinct, but the reasons for this are unknown.