Mystery Bird: Two-banded Courser, Smutsornis (Cursorius) africanus gracilis

grrlscientist — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 08:59:00 +0000

tags: Two-banded Courser, Smutsornis (Cursorius) africanus gracilis, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz

~~[Mystery bird]~~ Two-banded Courser, Smutsornis (Cursorius) africanus gracilis, photographed at Tarangire National Park, Tanzania, Africa. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]

Image: Dan Logen, 30 August 2007 [larger view].

Nikon D2X, 200-400 mm lens at 400. ISO 200, 1/250, f/8.

Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.

Review all mystery birds to date.

grrlscientist Sat, 01/16/2010 - 03:59

Twice around the track this bird has run it's race, perhaps to win by a nose?

LOL, David! OK, I'll bite- the number 2 is important, maybe running or racing with those long legs- at 200 miles from the coast, is this a shorebird ?

I guess the number 2 was indeed worth emphasis!

Try synonyms for "a race track", "twice", and if you're having trouble with the taxonomy (apparently no one has actually decided which genus this is in), think of something just a little bit naughty...!

Of course, of course!

Carel, you take me back a bit... and it certainly seems you have the "the answer that I endorse"...

"a horse is a horse, of course, of course..."

Aha! A Double-banded Courser, Rhinoptilus africanus! ("race course" plus "twice around")

Very good Maggie!

"Twice around the track this bird has run it's race, perhaps to win by a nose?" did in fact refer to the Double-banded Courser, Rhinoptilus africanus gracilis, for the connections you made (and although it is usually found in arid habitats, it is indeed a shorebird or wader), but also I made reference to the taxonomy- there is some debate here, with most authorities considering the genus to be Rhinoptilus, (as per Howard and Moore, Sibley and Monroe) which led me to "winning by a nose" where "rhino" comes from the Greek á¿¥Î¯Ï meaning "nose" and "ptilus" from the Greek ÏÏá½·Î»Î¿Î½ meaning "plume", however some decsribe it as belonging to the genus Smutsornis (after Clements), for which I implied "something just a little bit naughty"!

This particular bird is found from Angola to Kenya and down to South Africa, but only the subspecies gracilis is found in Tanzania.