Namaqua sandgrouse

The Namaqua sandgrouse (Pterocles namaqua) is a ground-dwelling bird of the sandgrouse family found in the arid regions of south-western Africa, including the Kalahari Desert, the Nama Karoo, parts of the Western Cape, the Namib Desert, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Angola. It was formally described in 1789 by Johann Friedrich Gmelin as Tetrao namaqua, and is now one of 14 species in the genus Pterocles; the epithet refers to Namaqualand, the type locality. It is a medium-sized, plump bird about 28 centimetres long with a small head and short legs. The male has an orange-buff head, throat and chest set off by a narrow band of white and dark brown, and two long black filaments extend from the tail. It feeds mainly on seeds, with some leaves, flowers, small fruit, insects and molluscs, and gathers in flocks at waterholes in the early morning. Breeding follows rainfall, and the male carries water to the chicks in his breast feathers. The IUCN lists it as Least Concern.