🐦

Black-faced Sandgrouse

Pterocles decoratus

Least Concern
Wingspan
32.2 cm
Weight
180.83333333333334 g
Family
Pteroclidae
Order
Pterocliformes

About

Black-faced Sandgrouse (Pterocles decoratus) — 24–28 cm. Brown and buff barred pattern; male with distinctive black-and-white facial mask; short tail. Inhabits dry bush and open semi-arid country in East Africa from Somalia to Tanzania. Granivore; gregarious drinker.

Physical Description

Measurement Value Imperial
Wingspan 32.2 cm 12.7 in
Weight 180.83333333333334 g 6.38 oz

Identification

Plumage

Black-faced Sandgrouse: males with black-white face pattern; sandy-brown above; chestnut belly band; dimorphic; East African species

Conservation Status

Least Concern
IUCN Red List

Behavior & Breeding

Nesting

Nest type: SC.

Clutch Size

2-3

Sound

Song

Loud, carrying call with resonant quality; deep notes carrying well across dry open terrain. Vocalization pattern typical of this species in its native habitat.

Taxonomy

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Aves
Order Pterocliformes (Sandgrouse)
Family Pteroclidae (Sandgrouse)
Genus Pterocles
Species Pterocles decoratus

Distribution

Black-faced Sandgrouse has been recorded in 1 countries.

{# Distribution Map — simplified SVG world map with highlighted countries. Expects `country_codes` variable: list of ISO alpha-2 codes (e.g. ["US", "CA", "MX"]). Uses Alpine.js to toggle classes on country paths. #}
Present Not recorded
{# Simplified country/region shapes — major landmasses with ISO alpha-2 data attributes. These are simplified polygon representations for visual distribution display. #}

countries highlighted

External Databases

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Black-faced Sandgrouse endangered?
The Black-faced Sandgrouse has a conservation status of Least Concern.
How does the Black-faced Sandgrouse nest?
Nest type: SC.
What does the Black-faced Sandgrouse sound like?
Loud, carrying call with resonant quality; deep notes carrying well across dry open terrain. Vocalization pattern typical of this species in its native habitat.
How big is the Black-faced Sandgrouse?
The Black-faced Sandgrouse has a wingspan of 32.2 cm, weight of 180.83333333333334 g.
What order and family does the Black-faced Sandgrouse belong to?
The Black-faced Sandgrouse (Pterocles decoratus) belongs to the order Pterocliformes and the family Pteroclidae.

Similar Birds

Other species in the Pteroclidae family

Compare

Explore More

Explore the Nature FYI Family