Pterocles exustus hindustan

Kadbanwadi Grasslands, Indapur, Maharashtra

The unique grassland ecosystem of the Indapur tehsil - Kadbanwadi & Baramati - attract a number of birds and animals some of which I have photographed and written about in earlier blogs. My focus was on the Near Threatened Striped Hyena and the Endangered Indian Grey Wolf. But both are elusive species and require a lot of time and patience. While I waited for the Hyena a Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse walked up close to us. We decided to take a break from the Hyena and take on the sandgrouse. The bird was skittish but if we could keep the silence, allow the bird to get used to our presence, I was sure we would be able to get really close. 

The Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse or Common Sandgrouse is a large, plump, and dovelike bird with a pointed tail. It is a sedentary and nomadic species native to Asia and Africa. There are six recognised subspecies. The males are sandy brown with a thin black breast band and a solid chestnut belly. The females are sandy brown with black bars on the back and a mottled neck. They are most often seen in flocks inhabiting semidesert, dry plains, and sparsely vegetated scrubby areas. They give noisy burbling calls but something about this habitat first.

UNESCO defines savannah grasslands as ‘land covered with herbaceous plants with 10 - 40% tree and shrub cover’ (White, 1983). Globally, they cover about 46% of the land surface and contribute to the livelihood of over 800 million people through supporting pastoralism, dairy sector and the agricultural economy (Murray et al., 2000, Sala et al., 2017). Tropical savannah grasslands support the highest diversity of wild herbivores and carnivores globally (Shankaran & Ratnam, 2013). Grasslands are also natural carbon sinks and therefore crucial to the global carbon cycle due to their high rates of productivity, enhanced carbon sequestration rates & geographical extent keeping global temperatures more or less in balance. They are also breeding grounds for many migratory and endangered species like the Indian Grey Wolf of which only about 3,000 are left in the wild. It is a common response from people to think forests when green cover is mentioned but grasslands are of equal import. These open natural ecosystems urgently need attention and government initiatives for protection and conservation.

In India, savannah grassland ecosystems cover various biomes (high-elevation Sholas in the Western Ghats, low-lying peninsulas, Himalayan plateaus, etc.) and occupy 17% of the geographical area of the country (White et al., 2000). In Maharashtra, these ecosystems (patches of >10 km²) take up over 8% of geographical area, including permanent pastures, grazing lands, and fallow land, according to a recent Open Natural Ecosystem (ONE) mapping study (Madhusudan & Vanak, 2021). Indian grasslands come under five categories based on grass species composition & climate (Dabadghao & Shankarnarayan, 1973); these are Sehima - Dichanthium grasslands (Peninsular India and the Aravalli range); Dichanthium - Cenchrus - Lasiurus grasslands (Sub-tropical arid and semiarid region); Phragmites - Saccharum - Imperata grasslands (Gangetic plains, Brahmaputra valley, and Punjab); Themeda - Arundinella grasslands (Himalayan foothills); and temperate/alpine grasslands (high altitude Himalaya).

Savannah grasslands in India support at least 46 different nomadic and settled pastoralist communities and greatly subsidise agricultural livelihoods (Kishore & Köhler-Rollefson, 2020). Pastoralism-based economies are the backbone of Indian agriculture, contributing 3% to the national GDP and providing employment and livelihood for 70% of the population in rural areas (Kishore & Köhler-Rollefson, 2020). The number of practising pastoralists is estimated to be close to 13 million in India (Kishore & Köhler-Rollefson, 2020), out of which at least 1-2 million are in Maharashtra. The latter includes communities like Hatkar Dhangar,

Grasslands are not wastelands. It is important to amplify scientific evidence that show ecological value of grasslands and address the identity crisis that is preventing effective interventions. Grassland patches in Maharashtra are found across Marathwada, Vidarbha, Solapur, Satara and other isolated patches along the Western Ghats. According to the Forest Survey of India, permanent pastures, grazing lands, and fallow land account for just 8% of the state’s geographical area. However, there is no estimation or study on how much of this falls within forest areas. Management of grasslands fall under different government departments. An inter-ministerial agency can enable more effective governance. 

These grasslands play host to some magnificent eagles and harriers too like the Endangered Steppe Eagle, the Vulnerable Greater Spotted Eagle, the rare and Vulnerable Eastern Imperial Eagle, Bonelli’s Eagle & the Pallid Harrier, Montagu’s Harrier & Eurasian Marsh Harrier.

Apart from these there are other spectacular species like the Short-eared Owl, Spotted Owlets & the Indian Courser inhabiting the grasslands.

During my time here I was hosted by & had the expert help of Sandip Nagare and his team of knowledgeable guides from the Agnipankha Bird Watcher group, especially Ganesh Bhoi, who went out of their way to ensure I had fantastic opportunities to explore, discover, observe & photograph my target species on this trip like the Near Threatened Striped Hyena. Like earlier, I stayed at Sandip’s homestay and once again had the added pleasure of indulging in delectable home cooked food. 

Read about my birds from Kumbhargaon & the Bhigwan Bird Sanctuary and watch the videos on my Youtube channel - WildArtWorks.

Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse/ Common Sandgrouse

The Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse or Common Sandgrouse (Pterocles exustus) is a large, plump, and dovelike bird with a pointed tail. It is a sedentary and nomadic species that ranges from northern and central Africa and further east towards western and southern Asia. There are six recognised subspecies. The males are sandy brown with a thin black breast band and solid chestnut belly. While the females are sandy brown with black bars on the back and a mottled neck. Their flight is fast and direct and they are often seen in flocks. Their preferred habitat is semidesert, dry plains, and sparsely vegetated scrubby areas and they give noisy burbling calls.

The chestnut-bellied sandgrouse is sexually dimorphic in plumage colouration and varies in overall plumage colouration between the six subspecies. Given the habitat it frequents, it is heavily reliant on water, despite living in hot, arid climates and is known to travel up to 80 kilometres in a day to search for water. They are selective feeders and primarily subsist on seeds, often preferring to consume small seeds in large amounts.

The chestnut-bellied sandgrouse is a species of sandgrouse placed in the genus Pterocles.  Sandgrouse belong to the family Pteroclididae, which belongs to the order Pteroclidiformes. This means they are more closely related to pigeons and doves and are not a type of grouse.

There are six recognised subspecies of chestnut-bellied sandgrouse:

• Pterocles exustus exustus: Senegal, Gambia, Mauritania and Sudan.

• Pterocles exustus floweri: endemic to the Nile Valley of Egypt and thought to be extinct until its rediscovery in 2012.

• Pterocles exustus ellioti: southeastern Sudan, eastern Eritrea, northern Ethiopia and Somalia.

• Pterocles exustus olivascens: southeastern South Sudan, southwestern Ethiopia, Kenya and Northern Tanzania.

• Pterocles exustus erlangeri: southwestern Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Oman.

• Pterocles exustus hindustan: southeastern eastern Iran, Pakistan and India.

The birds appear as small to medium-sized, brownish sandgrouses with an elongated and pointed tail when in flight. When grounded, they appear as very short-legged birds, with a small head. They will stretch out their long necks when wary. The males are about 31–33 cm and weigh between 170–290 g, the female is about 140–240 g and the typical wingspan is between 48–51 cm. It is a relatively small species, with elongated central tail feathers - easily seen in the video - with dark underwings and a blackish belly; unmarked head. The males also have a narrow pectoral band and a chestnut brown belly darkening towards the rear. The bill is  slate blue with darker tip. The orbital ring is a pale greenish. Females are more mottled above and show a “tricoloured” ventral pattern. The juvenile has a short tail while the upperparts are more densely barred and the underparts less contrasting. Races differ mainly in tone of the coloration of their upperparts. 

The chestnut-bellied sandgrouse is found across most of northern and central Africa and further east towards western and southern Asia. These birds are wide-stretching, inhibiting mostly the Afrotropic and Indomalayan biogeographic realms.  The chestnut-bellied sandgrouse tends to prefer bare, bushy arid and sandy plains as its habitat. The chestnut-bellied sandgrouse that can be found in India is found most abundantly in the Thar or Sindh Desert. During the summer, where water is scarce, these birds often can be found conglomerating at a single waterhole to drink in their thousands. During the rainy seasons, when water is more plentiful, the birds tend to travel in smaller flocks. The specimen you see in these photos and video is from the Kadbanwadi Grasslands near Pune. 

In Egypt, a subspecies (floweri) of chestnut-bellied sandgrouse was first discovered in the mid-19th century, and are found endemically in the Nile Valley. In the late 19th century, it was the most abundant species of sandgrouse inhabiting Egypt, but by 1929, they were already found to be scarce.  Before being rediscovered in 2012, the last and most recent recorded observation was from 4 March 1979. The subspecies was rediscovered by a team of Austrian and German ornithologists while working in the Egyptian Nile valley in March 2012.

On the whole the Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse is not globally threatened and is classified as Least Concern. The bird is common and widespread through most of extensive range; very common to abundant in some areas. Often flocks of thousands gather at watering points, with up to 50,000 birds recorded at some locations. But that said the long term trend is declining so we need to be conscious of that too and ensure we take appropriate measures to ensure the bird continues to thrive.

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