Shorebirds of Africa
Most Shorebirds walk along shores probing for food with their thin sensitive bills. Bill length varies considerably so differing species can work the same shore and obtain different food supplies. Shorebirds include sandpipers, godwits, stilts, oystercatchers, plovers, and many more. Shorebirds belong to the Charadriiformes order which also includes the Gulls and Allies.
Note: the term Shorebirds is used in the Americas; elsewhere "waders" is used. We will reserve "waders" for herons and allies.
Note: the term Shorebirds is used in the Americas; elsewhere "waders" is used. We will reserve "waders" for herons and allies.
Coursers and Praticoles
Order Charadriiformes Suborder Charadrii disputed Family Glareolidae
The feature that defines the Glareolidae family from the rest of the order is the bill, which is arched and has the nostrils at the base. They have an Old World distribution, occurring in southern Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia. Insects form the majority of their diet.
Pratincoles have short legs, long pointed wings and long forked tails. They have a buoyant flight that allows them the unusual (for the order) hunting technique of taking their insect prey on the wing. They are able to capture their prey on the ground as well. They live near wetlands, rivers, estuaries and other inland waterways. The wings also allow for long migrations in some species.
Coursers have long legs, which are used to run (giving the group its name. They feed in a plover-like fashion, running, then stopping to scan for prey before moving on. The wings are shorter and have a more sustained flight than that of the pratincoles. The coursers are typically found in open and arid environments such as deserts and scrub. The coursers are not particularly migratory. [abstracted from Wikipedia]
Genus Cursorius
Courser, Burchell's Cursorius rufus Found: Africa
Photographed by: 1) Jerry Oldenettel - Sossusvlei National Park, Namibia
Courser, Cream-coloured Cursorius cursor Found: Africa, Asia
Photographed by Shah Jahan - Dibba, United Arab Emirates
Courser, Somali Cursorius somalensis Found: Africa
The Somali Courser is also considered to be a subspecies of the Cream-coloured Courser.
Courser, Temminck's Cursorius temminckii Found: Africa
Photographed by: 1) Steve Garvie in the Masai Mara, Kenya 2) Marcel Burkhard 3) Chandres
Genus Rhinoptilus
Courser, Bronze-winged Rhinoptilus chalcopterus Found: Africa
Drawn / Photographed by: 1) John Gerrard Keulemans 2) Gwendolen Tee
Courser, Two-banded aka Double-banded Courser Rhinoptilus africanus Found: Africa
Phhotographed by: 1) Tom Bastin 2) Dick Daniels - Tanzania 3) DIck Daniels - Tanzania
Genus Pluvianus - 1 species
Plover, Egyptian Pluvianus aegyptius Found: Africa
Photographed by: 1) Steve Garvie - The Gambia
All photos on this site are available for general use. Please credit the photographer. Some images have additional constraints such as no commercial use or no modifications. Click the photo credit link for details. Dick Daniels, webmaster.