Namaqua Sandgrouse
Pterocles namaqua
The Namaqua Sandgrouse (Pterocles namaqua) is a uncommon sandgrouse found in 5 countries, weighing about 177 g. The Namaqua sandgrouse, is a species of ground-dwelling bird in the sandgrouse family.
About the Namaqua Sandgrouse
The Namaqua sandgrouse, is a species of ground-dwelling bird in the sandgrouse family. It is found in arid regions of south-western Africa.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The sandgrouse is a medium-sized bird with a plump body, small head and short legs. It grows to a length of about 28 centimetres (11 in). The male has an orangish buff head, throat and chest delineated by a conspicuous narrow band of white and dark brown. The back and wings are mottled brown with large white specks and there are two long black filaments extending from the olive-brown tail. The colouring of the female and juvenile is more cryptic being generally various shades of brown patterned with white specks.
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in Nigeria.
When to see it
The Namaqua Sandgrouse can be seen all year round, with peak activity in September. It is a resident species across most of its range.
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Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Namaqua Sandgrouse?
- The sandgrouse is a medium-sized bird with a plump body, small head and short legs. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Namaqua Sandgrouse?
- The Namaqua Sandgrouse is a medium sized bird weighing about 177 g.
- Where can you see a Namaqua Sandgrouse?
- The Namaqua Sandgrouse occurs in 5 countries, including South Africa, Namibia, Botswana and Angola.
- What birds look similar to a Namaqua Sandgrouse?
- The Namaqua Sandgrouse is most easily confused with the Pin-tailed Sandgrouse, the Black-bellied Sandgrouse and the Double-banded Sandgrouse.
- Is the Namaqua Sandgrouse endangered?
- The Namaqua Sandgrouse is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
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