Indian Courser

Cursorius coromandelicus

Coursers and Pratincoles · Charadriiformes · Rare

The Indian Courser (Cursorius coromandelicus) is a rare coursers and pratincol found in 4 countries, weighing about 94 g. The Indian courser is a species of courser found in mainland South Asia, mainly in the plains bounded by the Ganges and Indus river system.

Near ThreatenedRareEats invertebratesgrasslandscrape nest94 g

About the Indian Courser

The Indian courser is a species of courser found in mainland South Asia, mainly in the plains bounded by the Ganges and Indus river system. Like other coursers, it is a ground bird that can be found in small groups as they forage for insects in dry open semi-desert country.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

How to identify it

This courser is widespread in South Asia and overlaps with some other species such as the similar looking cream-coloured courser. This species is however brighter coloured than the cream-coloured courser and has a broader black eye-stripe that begins at the base of the beak. The crown is chestnut and the breast is rufous. The nape has a dark black patch where the long longer feathers forming the white stripe meet. In flight, the rump appears white and the wing tip is not as contrastingly black as in the cream-coloured courser. The sexes are alike.

Where it lives

When to see it

The Indian Courser can be seen all year round, with peak activity in February. It is a resident species across most of its range.

Easily confused with

Quick questions

How do you identify an Indian Courser?
This courser is widespread in South Asia and overlaps with some other species such as the similar looking cream-coloured courser. Full identification notes are on this page.
How big is an Indian Courser?
The Indian Courser is a medium sized bird weighing about 94 g.
Where can you see an Indian Courser?
The Indian Courser occurs in 4 countries, including India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
What birds look similar to an Indian Courser?
The Indian Courser is most easily confused with the Cream-colored Courser, the Temminck's Courser and the Burchell's Courser.
Is the Indian Courser endangered?
The Indian Courser is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List.

Learn the Indian Courser for real

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