Pteroclidae is an order in the class of Aves whose main member is the sandgrouse. It can be classified taxonomically as belonging to the class Aves, order Ptericliformes and family Pteroclidae. The only family in this order is the Pteroclidae.

The most distinctive member of this order, the sandgrouse, is a bird that resembles pigeons, with a small head and a stocky body and also has sort legs and bills with plumage that camouflages well with the environment.

The size of the sandgrouse is between 25 and 48 cm and it weighs between 130 to 550 grams. There are two genera and sixteen species in the family.

These birds are mostly found inhabiting deserts dry savannah and in the steppe. Whatever the habitat, it must be within a flying distance of drinking water. This is because the foods that they eat are dry and require frequent drinking of water. For more info, see, the behavior, feeding and diet section elsewhere in this article.

These animals are not an endangered species and therefore do not face threats of extinction, at least according to IUCN.

The birds are distributed evenly and are found in Africa particularly in Madagascar, Iberian and Arabian Peninsula in Asia and the Indian subcontinent and finally in Mongolia and China.

Behavior, diet and feeding

Sandgrouse are gregarious; and feed and drink in large flocks

Sandgrouse are chiefly seed eaters though a number of different food items have also been found in their stomachs after being shot. These other foods are so insignificant that it is possible that they may have been swallowed accidentally. Their diets are highly specialized and only a small number of the plant species are found in their diet. This specific selection of diet could be due to the seeds that are locally available though it could also be as a result of strict prey selection by the sandgrouse. The most favored species in their diet is that from the family Leguminosae. These seeds are either taken from the ground after their dispersal or collected first hand from the plants. To reduce competition amongst the species that coexist in the same ecosystem, the birds adopt different foraging techniques. For instance, in Namibia one particular species, the double banded Sandgrouse has a slow and methodical feeding pattern while the Namaqua Sandgrouse species are known to feed very rapidly. Sandgrouse are highly extroverted birds and can always be seen in flocks of as many as 100 birds. Owing to their dry diet, they are almost always visiting the water pools in order to drink water. They invite their colleagues when thy go to drink water and it is not any wonder to find even a thousand sandgrouse drinking water at one instant.

Relations with humans

Sandgrouse do not have any significant relationship with human beings, maybe because most species of this family colonize arid areas that are usually unpopulated. Being non-edible, they are hunted for game rather than as delicacies. No known species is under any immediate threat of extinction.