Burchell's courser

Burchell's courser has a graceful figure and an upright posture. It has a blue-grey hind crown which is mainly how it differs from the similar Temminck's courser. In terms of feathers, its secondaries are mostly white with a black underwing and brown to grey coverts. Similar to the underbelly, the legs are of a distinctive creamy white. While flying, the Burchell's courser's feet extend past its tail. Females and males look similar, while juveniles lack the rufous colouring, the facial stripes, and the grey hind crown of the adults. They also are mottled, with black and beige barring. Overall, the Burchell's courser, with its camouflage appearance, blends in with the landscape making it challenging to spot. ==Taxonomy==

Burchell's courser belongs to the order Charadriiformes which mainly refers to birds living near water. Characterized by a curved beak and nostrils located at the base of the nose, the Burchell's courser is part of the Glareolidae family, specifically belonging to the courser group. Its genus, Cursorius, contains five species, all of which live in the arid parts of the Old World and display distinctive features such as long legs and short wings. Burchell's courser and its close relative, C. cursor, have at times been referred to as the same species. C. rufus is monotypic and does not have any subspecies. ==Distribution and habitat==

Endemic to Africa, Burchell's courser prefers the warm and dry areas of Southern Africa. (Kalahari Basin). Its distribution range occasionally coincides with that of the Temminck's courser. Although it is classified as least concern, Its population is declining, potentially due to its habitat loss on arable lands, inadequate farming practices such as intense irrigation and overuse of pesticides, and other anthropogenic disturbances. ==Behaviour==

The adults have developed a diversionary display as a strategy against predators. They perform "displacement brooding" to distract any potential threats from the nesting area. It uses its long bill to forage the ground and dig up insects. This bird also runs to catch its prey. It has been found to frequently eat from the Coleoptera group, especially curculionidae beetles as its main food source. However, the Burchell's courser tends to have a preference for harvester termites (Hodotermes mossambicus) when available, which can constitute over 50% of its diet. It almost never chooses seeds as a source of nutrition. The yearly frequency of rainfalls affects the food availability and quality, which is the main reason the Burchell's courser travels around. Breeding Burchell's coursers may occur in small flocks but are mostly solitary, monogamous birds. They have developed an all-year-round breeding strategy due to their nomadic movements, although they often breed just before the wet season between July and December. With a small clutch size, the Burchell's courser only lays two eggs directly on the ground, sometimes surrounded by stools of antelopes, small rocks, or dried up organic matter. The eggs have an oval shape, and look black from afar, but they are actually of a buff colour with many dark markings. There is a lot of uncertainty when it comes to the hatching and fledging times, but it is believed that both parents participate in the incubation period. ==References==