Burchell's courser is a wader in the pratincole and courser family, Glareolidae. The name of this bird commemorates the English naturalist William John Burchell.
Region
Southern Africa
Typical Environment
Found patchily across arid and semi-arid regions of Namibia, Botswana, South Africa, and southwestern Angola. It favors open, sparsely vegetated ground such as stony flats, calcrete pans, and short-grass savannas. Recently burned areas are particularly attractive for feeding and nesting. It avoids tall, dense grasses and rugged terrain, preferring level ground where it can spot predators and sprint. Local occurrence is highly variable, tracking rainfall and fire events.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1500 m
Climate Zone
Arid
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Burchell's courser is a ground-dwelling wader of arid plains in the Glareolidae family, named for the English naturalist William John Burchell. It often appears soon after veld fires, exploiting the short, open swards to forage and breed. Masters of camouflage, they prefer running swiftly to escape danger, only taking flight when pressed.
Close-up of C. rufus
C. rufus in a gravelly desert
Temperament
wary and elusive
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats followed by low glides
Social Behavior
Usually found singly, in pairs, or in small loose parties. Breeding is timed to follow rains or fires, with a simple ground scrape used as a nest. Clutch is typically one to two eggs, and both parents share incubation and chick guarding.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Generally quiet; gives soft, piping whistles and trills, especially at dawn and dusk. Alarm calls are sharp, high-pitched notes delivered while running or when flushed.
Plumage
Sandy to warm rufous upperparts with pale underparts and a clean, unbanded breast. Bold white supercilium meets across the nape, contrasting with a dark eyestripe through the lores. Wings are dark with pale panels visible in flight; tail shows subtle white with darker terminal accents.
Diet
Primarily feeds on small invertebrates such as ants, termites, beetles, and small orthopterans. Forages by running and pausing to pick prey from the ground surface. After fires, it exploits exposed insect prey on the bare earth. Opportunistically takes emerging termites during hatches.
Preferred Environment
Open, short-grass or bare ground with excellent visibility, including burned patches, overgrazed flats, and stony pans. Often uses lightly disturbed areas like tracks and road verges for foraging.
