Cream-coloured courser

Cream-coloured courser
Adult in Tunisia
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1) [1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Charadriiformes
Family:	Glareolidae
Genus:	Cursorius
Species:	C. cursor
Binomial name
Cursorius cursor (Latham, 1787)
Range of C. cursor   Breeding   Resident   Non-breeding   Passage   Probably extinct   Possibly Extant (resident)   Possibly Extant (non-breeding)

The cream-coloured courser (Cursorius cursor) is a species of wader in the pratincole and courser family, Glareolidae. Both parts of the scientific name derive from Latin cursor, "runner", from currere, "to run" ^[2] which describes their usual habit as they hunt their insect prey on the ground in dry open semi-desert regions of the Middle East and northern Africa.

Range

Cream-coloured coursers are found in the Canary Islands, Cape Verde, North Africa and Southwest Asia. Their two eggs are laid in a ground scrape. The breeding season extends from February to September, ^[3] but they may also breed in autumn and winter when local conditions (especially rainfall) are favourable. ^[4] They are partially migratory, with northern and northwestern birds wintering in India, Arabia and across the southern edge of the Sahara. The species also breeds in the southern desert regions in northwestern India and Pakistan, ^[5] and has bred occasionally in southern Spain. ^[4]

They are rare north of the breeding range, but this species has occurred as far north as Finland, Norway and Great Britain; they are more regular on Malta, with flocks of up to 30 recorded there. ^[6]

Description

Cream-coloured coursers have long legs, long wings, and slightly downcurved bills. The body plumage is sandy in colour, fading to whitish on the lower belly. The outer upperwing and the underwing are black. The crown is grey, grading to blue-grey on the nape, and there is a black eyestripe and a conspicuous white supercilium. The legs are pale grey. Juveniles are mottled dark above, and have a duller head pattern than adults. In flight, this species resembles a pratincole with its relaxed wingbeats, pointed wings and black underwings. ^{[6] [7]}

Subspecies

Three subspecies are accepted: ^[8]

• C. c. cursor(Latham, 1787) — Canary Islands, North Africa, and the Arabian Peninsula to Iraq
• C. c. bogolubovi(Zarudny, 1885) — southeast Turkey to Iran, Afghanistan, southern Pakistan to northwest India
• C. c. exsul(Hartert, 1920) — Cape Verde Islands

• 
  Adult C. c. cursor in Wadi Degla, Egypt
• 
  Adult C. c. cursor in Dibba, United Arab Emirates
• 
  Adult C. c. cursor, rear view showing the white supercilia meeting on the nape
• 
  Adult C. c. cursor in flight, showing the black outer upperwing and entirely black underwing; Western Sahara
• 
  Juvenile C. c. cursor, El Achir, Algeria
• 
  Adult C. c. bogolubovi, Tal Chhapar Sanctuary, Churu, Rajasthan, India
• 
  Eggs collected from Tunisia, in the Muséum de Toulouse collection

Taxonomic note

The East African taxon littoralis, currently treated as a species Somali courser, has in the past been considered as another subspecies of cream-coloured courser by some authors, ^[9] or by others as a subspecies of the Southern African Burchell's courser. ^[10]

References

1. BirdLife International (2019) [amended version of 2016 assessment]. "Cursorius cursor". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2019 e.T22735845A155429274. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22735845A155429274.en . Retrieved 20 September 2024.
2. Jobling, James A (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p.  125. ISBN   978-1-4081-2501-4.
3. Maclean, G.L. (1996). "Family Glareolidae (coursers and pratincoles)". In Hoyo, Josep del; Elliott, Andrew; Sargatal, Jordi (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World. Vol. 3. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. pp. 364–383. ISBN   978-84-87334-20-7.
4. Amezian, M.; Bergier, P.; Qninba, A (2014). "Autumn-winter breeding by Cream-coloured Coursers Cursorius cursor is more common than previously reported" (PDF). Wader Study Group Bulletin. 121 (3): 177–180.
5. Rahmani, Asad R.; Manakadan, Ranjit (1989). "Breeding records of Cream-coloured Courser Cursorius cursor cursor (Latham) from India". Journal of the Bombay Natural Historical Society. 86 (3): 447–448 – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
6. Lewington, Ian; Alström, Per; Colston, Peter (1991). A Field Guide to the Rare Birds of Britain and Europe. HarperCollins. p. 101. ISBN   0-00-219917-3.
7. Svensson, Lars; Mullarney, Killian; Zetterstroem, Dan (2023-03-16). Collins Bird Guide. William Collins. p. 140. ISBN   978-0-00-854746-2.
8. Gill, Frank; Donsker, David, eds. (2019). "Sandpipers, snipes, coursers". World Bird List Version 9.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
9. Cramp, Stanley (1983). Handbook of the Birds of Europe, the Middle East and North Africa: Waders to gulls. Oxford London New York: Oxford university press. pp. 91–98. ISBN   0-19-857506-8.
10. Hayman, Peter; Marchant, John; Prater, Tony (1986). Shorebirds: An Identification Guide. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. pp. 72, 248–249. ISBN   0-7099-2034-2.

External links

• Cream-coloured courser photos at Oiseaux.net

• BirdLife species factsheet for Cursorius cursor
• "Cursorius cursor". Avibase.
• "Cream-coloured courser media". Internet Bird Collection .
• Interactive range map of Cursorius cursor at IUCN Red List
• Audio recordings of Cream-coloured courser on Xeno-canto .