Indian Courser

Indian Courser

                 How to identify Indian Courser

      Both of the male and female Indian Courser(Scientific name :Cursorius coromandelicus) are look alike. Size of this Indian Courser is 23 cm. Crown is of bright chestnut coloured. There is a white and black stripes above and through eyes to nape. Upper portion is sandy-brown. Colour of throat and breast are chestnut and  belly is black,  Courser has long whitish legs and have only three  toes which are pointing forward. It is a  ground bird, runs in short spurts and feeds on ground like plovers. This Indian courder is  brighter coloured than the cream-coloured courser.  In flight, the rump appears white and the wing tip is not as contrastingly black as in the cream-coloured courser.

                 Habits and Habitats

         This species are found in dry stony, scrubby or rocky areas but rarely on sandy terrain. They are  found in Indus Valley, in Pakistan, E to S Nepal and West Bengal, through most of India to dry parts of NW Sri Lanka (from N of Puttalam to Jaffna Peninsula). In southern India, the drier zone on the east coast, the Coromandel region, It is also found patchily distributed in other parts of the peninsula. They are commonly found at the Deccan plateau and the arid regions of northwestern India in Rajasthan and Gujarat.
        These birds are usually live in small group. They are usually found at small grassy areas. Their main food are insects, mainly termites, beetles, crickets and grasshoppers which they pick up from the ground in stubbly or uncultivated fields.They run in spurts on the ground but take to flight with a hoarse creaky gwaat call. The flight is strong with rapid wing beats.They fly low and begin to run after landing.

                     Breeding and Nesting

        The breeding time of Indian Courser is mainly from March to August. They build their  nest in a scrape on bare stony ground. Female lays 2 or 3 eggs which are spherical in shape and very well camouflaged with the surroundings.The chicks are protectively coloured and on alarm crouch, remain immobile making them extremely difficult to find out. Adults do not call or display when the nest or chicks are approached. The chicks are able to move upon hatching but are initially fed by the parents and begin to forage  after a week.
    Next : Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary