Temminck's Courser ( Cursorius temminckii, family: Glareolidae)
The Temminck's Courser (Latin name Cursorius temminckii) is described in
Roberts Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition. This bird has a unique
Roberts number of 300 and you will find a full description of this bird
on page 426 also a picture of the Temminck's Courser on page 321. The
Temminck's Courser belongs to the family of birds classified as
Glareolidae.
The map of the Kruger you see on this page shows the areas (coloured orange) where this bird has been identified. The basic information was provided by the Avian Demographic Unit based at UCT and I created the maps from that information ... the green dots show the locations of the various Kruger National Park Rest Camps
The Temminck's Courser is neither Endemic or near Endemic to the Kruger National Park. It is however a common resident
In terms of distribution of the Temminck's Courser in the Kruger National Park you may not see it in all areas. Temminck's Courser : see above distribution map.
Identification assistance for this avian species ...
The Temminck's Courser is a smallish bird but somewhat larger than a house sparrow. The height of the Temminck's Courser is about 20 cms and its weight is about 70 gms
The male and female Temminck's Courser have the same plumage and colours
- Head is chestnut.
- Eye is brown.
- Bill is grey.
- Throat is white.
- Back is brown.
- Legs are white.
This bird has normally proportioned leg length.
Main diet items for this bird ...
The Temminck's Courser feeds on the ground mainly
Invertebrates
Breeding and nesting habits for this bird ...
The Temminck's Courser is monogamous unless its mate dies. In the event of a partner dying Cursorius temminckii will seek out a new mate
The nesting habit of Temminck's Courser is to create the nest on the ground. The bird lays eggs which are brown in colour and number between 1 to 2
Habitat and flocking behaviour for this bird ...
The preferred habitats for Temminck's Courser are: woodlands and grasslands
You will normally see the Temminck's Courser in flocks.
Names of this avian species in other languages ...
Xhosa ... Ucelithafa
Zulu ... uNobulongwe
Afrikaans ...Trekdrawwertjie
German ... Temminckrennvogel
Portuguese ... Corredor de Temminck
French ... Courvite de Temminck
Dutch ... Temmincks Renvogel
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For in-depth birding information please refer to these authoritative avian references ...
Robert's 7th edition number ... 300
The main reference source for this data was "Roberts - Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition" . Other references were "Newmans Birds of the Kruger Park" by Keith Newman published circa 1980 . Names in foreign languages were obtained from the Percy Fitzpatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town website , www.fitzpatrick.uct.ac.za