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Alternative name: Two-banded Courser
- Rhinoptilus africanus
Identification
Distribution
Arid country of eastern and southern Africa
Western Africa: occurs only in Angola
Eastern Africa: Eritrea, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia
Southern Africa: Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Lesotho
Taxonomy
Smutsornis vs. Rhinoptilus
Some authorities (Clements, 2007) place Double-banded Courser in the monotypic genus Smutsornis. However Howard & Moore (2003) and Sibley & Monroe (1996) place it within the genus Rhinoptilus and the Opus awaits clarification.
Subspecies
There are 8 subspecies1:
- R. a. raffertyi:
- R. a. hartingi:
- South-eastern Ethiopia (Ogaden Depression) and Somalia
- R. a. gracilis:
- R. a. bisignatus:
- South-western Angola
- R. a. traylori:
- R. a. sharpei:
- Central Namibia
- R. a. africanus:
- Central Kalahari and southern Namibia to northern Cape Province
- R. a. granti:
- Western Cape Province and Karoo of South Africa
Habitat
This is a bird of dry and alkaline flats as well as short grass plains normally up to 1800m.
Behaviour
Although it is active by day it may be nocturnal where temperatures are very high. It is generally seen in pairs.
Breeding
It nests on the ground among pebbles or animal droppings, laying a single egg.
References
- Clements, JF. 2011. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to August 2011. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/downloadable-clements-checklist
- Avibase
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Double-banded Courser. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 26 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Double-banded_Courser