Sandgrouse

16 species

Sandgrouse is a family of sixteen species of bird distributed across northern, southern, and eastern Africa, Madagascar, the Middle East, and India through central Asia. They are ground-dwelling birds restricted to treeless, open country, such as plains, savannahs, and semi-deserts. Sandgrouse are principally seed-eaters, feeding in flocks of up to 100 birds. Due to their dry diet sandgrouse need to visit water sources regularly and often travel tens of miles to their traditional water holes. Sandgrouse are monogamous breeders and both partners share incubation duties. The precocial chicks are covered with down and leave the nest as soon as the last hatchling has dried out. The parents do not provide them with food and they learn, with parental guidance, what is edible and what is not. The chicks obtain their water from the soaked downy feathers on the adults\' breasts. Sandgrouse chicks typically remain with their parents, as a family group, for several months.
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Sandgrouse is a family of sixteen species of bird distributed across northern, southern, and eastern Africa, Madagascar, the Middle East, and India through central Asia. They are ground-dwelling birds restricted to treeless, open country, such as plains, savannahs, and semi-deserts. Sandgrouse are principally seed-eaters, feeding in flocks of up to 100 birds. Due to their dry diet sandgrouse need to visit water sources regularly and often travel tens of miles to their traditional water holes. Sandgrouse are monogamous breeders and both partners share incubation duties. The precocial chicks are covered with down and leave the nest as soon as the last hatchling has dried out. The parents do not provide them with food and they learn, with parental guidance, what is edible and what is not. The chicks obtain their water from the soaked downy feathers on the adults\' breasts. Sandgrouse chicks typically remain with their parents, as a family group, for several months.
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