Painted sandgrouse

Painted Sandgrouse
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Columbiformes
Family:	Pteroclididae
Genus:	Pterocles
Species:	P. indicus
Binomial name
Pterocles indicus (Gmelin, 1789)

The Painted Sandgrouse (Pterocles indicus) is a medium large bird in the sandgrouse family found in eastern Pakistan and India. It is also known as ganga indien.

Two Painted Sandgrouse (lower right), with a Dodo (centre), Loriculus galgulus (upper left) Tragopan melanocephalus (upper right) and Anser indicus (lower left)

Description

The Painted Sandgrouse is a plump ground-dwelling bird with a small head and short legs. The sexes are differently coloured. In the male, the bill is orange and there is a black bar across the white forehead, fine black longitudinal lines on the nape and a white patch of bare skin surrounding the eye. There is a broad black and white band around the chest. The breast and belly are a uniform pinkish-brown colour and the back, wings and tail are brown, boldly marked in black and white transverse bars. The female is duller in appearance being a greyish brown colour, barred and speckled with darker brown and white.

Behaviour

The Painted Sandgrouse is found in dry regions in rough grassland, rocky areas and scrub and feeds mainly on seeds. It is gregarious and groups congregate at waterholes to drink. It is not a strong flyer and when disturbed often dashes to the nearest cover and hence also called Bush grouse.