Black-Bellied Sandgrouse

Pterocles orientalis (Linnaeus, 1758)

		male female in flight chick
2011-07-16 Kanshengel, Taukum sands, Southern Trans-Balkhash area 2010-05-17 Big Boguty mountains, Almaty oblast2011-07-16 Kanshengel, Taukum sands, Southern Trans-Balkhash area2009-08-08 Kumala river, Dzhezkazgan area	© Gennadiy Dyakin © Sergey Eliseev© Askar Isabekov© Andrey Kovalenko

Distribution

Breeds and occurs on migration in southern part of Kazakhstan, in north to north-eastern border of Volga-Ural sands, Inder Mts., upper reaches of Uil, Akkumsagiz sands in Sagiz valley, lower reaches of Turgay, Arkarly area, near Irtysh river at Maykain, in foothills of Monrak ridge and Zaysan depression. Dispersing birds observed up to Elton lake, on Kushum river near Telnov village in area between Volga and Ural rivers, in Naurzum Reserve, near Tengiz lake and Semipalatinsk. Common on Ustyurt. In small numbers winters in Kyzylkum desert on not snowy areas, on Ustyurt and Barsa-Kelmes island.

Biology

Common, in places rare breeding migrant. Inhabits the flat and slightly hilly clay sagebrush deserts, prefers the crushed stone or pebbly areas; the sandy sagebrush-grass deserts; and saline soil deserts; with fresh or salty water not far as 60-80 km. In such habitats lives in mountain broad valleys up to 1400-1800 m. Appears in end of February to mid-April, in pairs or small flocks of up to 20-30 birds. Breeds in separate pairs at distance at least 150-200 m one from another. Nest is the shallow recession without lining. Clutch of 3, rare 2 eggs is laid in end of April to mid-August. Both parents excavate the nesting recession, incubate clutch (female at day, male at night) and than care for offsprings. Regularly flight to watering-place; at nearest water can be observed from late morning to evening. Flying juveniles recorded from mid-July, young birds begin to fly to watering-places with the not full-grown outer primaries. Rears two broods per season. The brood of feathered but not flying juveniles was recorded 10 October 1978. SInce a large number of nests (up to 92%) loss because of predation, the re-nesting is very common. As soon as breeding is finished birds join in large flocks up to several hundred individuals and disperse quite widely. Autumn migration pass in September – October mostly, odd birds linger up to mid-November.

Subspecies

References

"Птицы Казахстана" том 2. "Наука". Алма-Ата, 1962. Э.И.Гаврилов. "Фауна и распространение птиц Казахстана". Алматы, 1999. Gavrilov E. I., Gavrilov A. E. "The Birds of Kazakhstan". Almaty, 2005.