Region

Sahel and Sudano-Sahelian zone of West and Central Africa

Typical Environment

Occurs from Mauritania and Mali east through Niger, Chad, and northern Nigeria to Cameroon, Central African Republic, Sudan, South Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and northwestern Uganda. It favors dry savanna, Sahelian scrub, thornbush, and lightly wooded acacia country. Often found on rocky hillsides, along wadis, and at the edges of cultivation where cover and seed sources are available. It adapts to human-modified landscapes, using field margins, fallows, and village outskirts if there is shrub cover. Water is not strictly required daily, but it concentrates near seasonal watercourses in the dry season.

Altitude Range

0–2000 m

Climate Zone

Arid

Temperament

wary and secretive, usually calm when concealed but explosive when flushed

Flight Pattern

short rapid wingbeats with brief glides; strong, explosive takeoff

Social Behavior

Typically found in pairs or small family coveys, especially outside the breeding season. Nests are simple ground scrapes hidden under grass tussocks or shrubs. Breeding often coincides with seasonal rains, and both adults are attentive to the brood. Uses dust-bathing sites and communal roosts in dense cover.

Migratory Pattern

Resident

Song Description

Vocalizations are loud, grating cackles and repeated rattling duets, most active at dawn and dusk. Calls carry far across open savanna and are used to maintain territory and pair bonds.