Pallas's Sandgrouse
Encyclopedia
The Pallas's Sandgrouse (Syrrhaptes paradoxus) is a medium large bird
in the sandgrouse
family named after the German zoologist Peter Simon Pallas
.
This species breeds across middle latitudes of central Asia on dry steppes and similar habitats. Its nest is a ground scrape into which 2-3 greenish eggs with cryptic markings are laid. It is a partial migrant
, especially from the northern parts of its range in Kazakhstan
and Mongolia
, but the extent and distance of the southerly winter movement depends on the amount of snowfall.
Pallas's Sandgrouse occasionally erupts from its regular breeding and wintering range across Europe as far west as Great Britain
, where it has bred, and Ireland
. The reasons for these remarkable movements are not fully understood, but they have become less frequent, probably due to contraction of the western Siberian range as the steppes become more agricultural.
Pallas's Sandgrouse is 30–41 cm long with small, pigeon-like head and neck, but sturdy compact body. It has long pointed wings and tail and legs and toes are feathered. Its plumage is buff coloured, barred above with a black belly patch and pale underwings. The black belly and pale underwing distinguish this species from the related Tibetan Sandgrouse
. The male Pallas's Sandgrouse is distinguished by its grey heads and breast, orange face and grey breast band. The female however, has duller plumage and lacks the breast band though it has more barring on the upperparts.
Due to their primarily dry diet of seeds, the sandgrouse needs to drink a large volume of water. The sandgrouse's wing morphology allows for fast flight with speeds up to 64 km/h having been recorded. Large flocks of several thousand individuals fly to watering holes at dawn and/or dusk making round trips of up to 121 km per day. Male Parents soak their breast plumage in water while drinking, allowing their chicks to drink from the absorbed moisture on their return.
Marco Polo mentions a bird called Bargherlac in The Travels of Marco Polo
. This is probably Syrrhaptes paradoxus (s. Pallasii).
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
in the sandgrouse
Sandgrouse
The sandgrouse are a family, Pteroclididae, of 16 bird species, the only living members of the order Pteroclidiformes. They are restricted to treeless open country in the Old World, such as plains and semi-deserts. They are distributed across northern, southern and eastern Africa as well as...
family named after the German zoologist Peter Simon Pallas
Peter Simon Pallas
Peter Simon Pallas was a German zoologist and botanist who worked in Russia.- Life and work :Pallas was born in Berlin, the son of Professor of Surgery Simon Pallas. He studied with private tutors and took an interest in natural history, later attending the University of Halle and the University...
.
This species breeds across middle latitudes of central Asia on dry steppes and similar habitats. Its nest is a ground scrape into which 2-3 greenish eggs with cryptic markings are laid. It is a partial migrant
Bird migration
Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
, especially from the northern parts of its range in Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
and Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
, but the extent and distance of the southerly winter movement depends on the amount of snowfall.
Pallas's Sandgrouse occasionally erupts from its regular breeding and wintering range across Europe as far west as Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, where it has bred, and Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. The reasons for these remarkable movements are not fully understood, but they have become less frequent, probably due to contraction of the western Siberian range as the steppes become more agricultural.
Pallas's Sandgrouse is 30–41 cm long with small, pigeon-like head and neck, but sturdy compact body. It has long pointed wings and tail and legs and toes are feathered. Its plumage is buff coloured, barred above with a black belly patch and pale underwings. The black belly and pale underwing distinguish this species from the related Tibetan Sandgrouse
Tibetan Sandgrouse
The Tibetan Sandgrouse is a large bird in the sandgrouse family.- Description :Tibetan Sandgrouse is about 30-41 cm long, with a small, pigeon-like head and neck, but sturdy compact body. It has long pointed wings and pin tail. It has an orange face, finely barred grey breast, neck and...
. The male Pallas's Sandgrouse is distinguished by its grey heads and breast, orange face and grey breast band. The female however, has duller plumage and lacks the breast band though it has more barring on the upperparts.
Due to their primarily dry diet of seeds, the sandgrouse needs to drink a large volume of water. The sandgrouse's wing morphology allows for fast flight with speeds up to 64 km/h having been recorded. Large flocks of several thousand individuals fly to watering holes at dawn and/or dusk making round trips of up to 121 km per day. Male Parents soak their breast plumage in water while drinking, allowing their chicks to drink from the absorbed moisture on their return.
Marco Polo mentions a bird called Bargherlac in The Travels of Marco Polo
The Travels of Marco Polo
Books of the Marvels of the World or Description of the World , also nicknamed Il Milione or Oriente Poliano and commonly called The Travels of Marco Polo, is a 13th-century travelogue written down by Rustichello da Pisa from stories told by Marco Polo, describing the...
. This is probably Syrrhaptes paradoxus (s. Pallasii).
External links
- OBC Nine photographs (see pulldown menu at page bottom).