Hunting Double-Banded Sandgrouse
EnquireDOUBLE-BANDED SANDGROUSE (Pterocles bicinctus)
Key Characteristics
The rounded tail, double breastband, black and white forehead and the yellow bill and eye-ring are diagnostic of the male Double-banded Sandgrouse. The female is identified by a yellow eye-ring, a finely barred breast and a rounded tail.
Habitat
Double-banded Sandgrouse occupy a wide variety of habitat types from the almost treeless Namib Desert in the west of the relatively moist bushveld regions in the east. In South Africa, they are mostly confined to the semi-arid to dry, savanna regions, where they show a preference for areas with rocky or gravelly surfaces with sparse ground cover, conditions often encountered in Mopane veld where Double-banded Sandgrouse are frequently found. AS with other Sandgrouse species, the presence of accessible waterholes (not cattle troughs) is essential for their occupation of an area.
