Birds · Pteroclidiformes · Pteroclidae

Pin-Tailed Sandgrouse

Pterocles alchata

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The pin-tailed sandgrouse is a steppe bird with a white belly and pointed wings, more slender than the black-bellied sandgrouse and with greatly elongated central tail feathers. Spain holds a very substantial share of its world population, concentrated in the cereal plains of Castile, Extremadura, Aragon and La Mancha. It is in sharp decline because of agricultural intensification, the disappearance of fallow land and the conversion of dry farmland to irrigation.

Weight

225 g – 250 g

Size

31 cm – 39 cm

Lifespan

12 years

Diet

Herbivore

Feeds mainly on plants.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

In pairs

Usually lives in pairs, sometimes for life.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

DesertGrasslandHerbivore Diurnal In pairs Bird Desert Grassland

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Fun facts

GeneralIt soaks its belly feathers in water to carry it to its chicks kilometres away.
Like the black-bellied sandgrouse, the male carries water to the chicks by soaking his belly feathers and flying back to the nest tens of kilometres: the chicks drink straight from his plumage.
Its flocks come to drink at the same pools and at the same time every day, and that predictability has made the few remaining steppe watering points critical places for its conservation.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
Habitat & environment: Steppe plains, saltflats and fallow land
Birth weight: Precocial: born covered in down and leaves the nest within a few hours
Size at birth: Precocial: born covered in down and leaves the nest within a few hours
Sexual maturity: 12 months
Gestation / incubation: 22 days of incubation
Litter / clutch size: 3 eggs

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pterocles_alchata

Where to find it

See its range on the interactive map

Best time: All year round on Iberian cereal plains and steppes; at dawn it comes in flocks to drink at pools and stock ponds, which is the best moment to see it.