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Rhinoptilus
File:Jerdonscourser.svg
Jerdon's Courser
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Glareolidae
Genus: Rhinoptilus
Strickland, 1852
species

R. africanus
R. cinctus
R. chalcopterus
R. bitorquatus

Rhinoptilus is a genus of coursers, a group of wading birds. There are four species, which breed in Africa and South Asia. They have long legs, short wings and long pointed bills which curve downwards. Although classed as waders, they inhabit deserts and similar arid regions. Like the pratincoles, the coursers are found in warmer parts of the Old World. They hunt insects by sight, pursuing them on foot.[1]

Species in the genus have earlier been placed under other genus names including Macrotarsius (Blyth), Chalcopterus (Reich.) and Hemerodromus (Heuglin). Some characteristics of this largely African genus include a bill that is shorter and stouter than in Cursorius, the orbits are feathered and the 2nd and 3rd primaries nearly equal and the longest. The tarsus is long and scutellate, the feet are short and the outer toe is joined by partial webbing.[2]

Their 2–3 eggs are laid on the ground.

Species in taxonomic order[]

References[]

  1. ^ Hayman, Marchant and Prater (1986) Shorebirds ISBN 0-395-37903-2
  2. ^ Jerdon, T. C. (1864) The Birds of India. Volume 3. p. 628


Eurasian Spoonbill This article is part of Project Bird Genera, a All Birds project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each genus, including made-up genera.
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