sandgrouse

also sand grouse S5067900 (sănd′grous′)n. Any of various ground-feeding birds of the family Pteroclididae, of arid and semiarid regions of Eurasia and Africa.

sandgrouse

(ˈsændˌɡraʊs) n (Animals) any bird of the family Pteroclididae, of dry regions of the Old World, having very short feet, a short bill, and long pointed wings and tail: order Columbiformes

Thesaurus

Noun

sandgrouse - pigeon-like bird of arid regions of the Old World having long pointed wings and tail and precocial downy youngsand grousecolumbiform bird - a cosmopolitan order of land birds having small heads and short legs with four unwebbed toesfamily Pteroclididae, Pteroclididae - sandgrousespainted sandgrouse, Pterocles indicus - sandgrouse of Indiapin-tailed grouse, pin-tailed sandgrouse, Pterocles alchata - sandgrouse of Europe and Africa having elongated middle tail featherspallas's sandgrouse, Syrrhaptes paradoxus - Eurasiatic sandgrouse with a black patch on the belly

sandgrouse

sandgrouse,

common name for pigeon-sized, seed-eating, terrestrial birds of the genera Pteroclida (approximately 14 species) and Syrrhaptes (2 species). They are birds of the Old World deserts and steppes, and are protectively colored and mottled to blend in with their backgrounds. Colors are typically fawn and gray in the desert-dwelling species and striped or mottled orange and brown in those of the steppe. Sandgrouse are structurally similar to pigeons, but have thicker skin. They have long, pointed wings and tails, and feathers all the way down their short legs. They range in length from 9 to 16 in. (22.5–40 cm). Sandgrouse are especially remarkable for their drinking habits, descending upon water in flocks of as many as 80,000 birds. With their beaks continuously in the water, they can swallow until full without pausing. They must have water daily, and desert species may make a round trip journey as great as 75 mi (121 km) a day just to reach water. They are strong flyers and can reach speeds up to 40 mi (64 km) per hr. Aground, sandgrouse are not very graceful, progressing with a rapid waddle on their short, feathered legs. Lacking a first toe, they do not perch. They forage on berries and seeds and sometimes on insects. They lay their round, spotted eggs, usually three, in ground nests or shallow depressions. The precocious young leave the nest soon after hatching, incubation taking 23 to 28 days, and being shared by the male and female. The newly hatched young are fed by regurgitation of the parents. Several species of sandgrouse are known to be migratory. Sandgrouse are classified in the phylum ChordataChordata
, phylum of animals having a notochord, or dorsal stiffening rod, as the chief internal skeletal support at some stage of their development. Most chordates are vertebrates (animals with backbones), but the phylum also includes some small marine invertebrate animals.
..... Click the link for more information. , subphylum Vertebrata, class Aves, order Columbiformes, family Pteroclidae.

sandgrouse

noun

Synonyms for sandgrouse

noun pigeon-like bird of arid regions of the Old World having long pointed wings and tail and precocial downy young

Synonyms

sand grouse

Related Words

columbiform bird
family Pteroclididae
Pteroclididae
painted sandgrouse
Pterocles indicus
pin-tailed grouse
pin-tailed sandgrouse
Pterocles alchata
pallas's sandgrouse
Syrrhaptes paradoxus