Double-banded sandgrouse

Scientific name: Pterocles bicinctus

How weight is recorded: Whole weight

Field notes

Appearance

Compact sandgrouse with warm buff and grey plumage; males show distinctive double breast bands (black and chestnut), while females lack these markings and appear more uniformly cryptic. Both sexes have pointed tail feathers.

Size and weight

Adults weigh 150–180 g; body length 20–24 cm. Males and females similar in size.

Habitat

Arid and semi-arid scrubland, sparse grassland, and rocky plains with minimal vegetation. Typically found between 500–2,500 m elevation in regions with low annual rainfall.

Distribution

Found in East Africa from southern Ethiopia through Kenya and Tanzania to northern Mozambique; prefers open, sparsely vegetated plains and ridges.

Diet

Seeds from grasses and low herbs dominate; also takes small pebbles for gizzard function and drinks water when available, travelling considerable distances to reach it.

Behaviour

Most active at dawn and dusk; diurnal during cooler months. Highly gregarious, moving in flocks that may number dozens to hundreds; birds fly rapidly between feeding and watering grounds.

Hunting tips

Look for tracks and droppings clustered near sparse vegetation patches and along worn trails to water sources. Approach from downwind using terrain contours and low vegetation for cover. Birds flush explosively when alarmed; ambush near dawn or dusk flight lines to and from water, or stalk feeding flocks across open ground.

Whole weight

This species is logged by whole weight — the animal weighed entire, as taken.

Where it is hunted

Listed as huntable in 4 countries in Huntify.

Names in other languages

These field notes are general species knowledge, not legal advice. Always check the current seasons, quotas and firearm rules where you hunt.