Bird Album
Black-faced Sandgrouse
Pterocles decoratus Cabanis, 1868
28 cmLength181 gWeight
The black-faced sandgrouse (Pterocles decoratus) is a species of ground-dwelling bird in the Pteroclidae family.
Most records: Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia
Where and when it's recorded
Black-faced Sandgrouse has been recorded at 60 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 3 countries and regions.
Records by month Southern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Tarangire NPTanzania910 records
- Samburu NRKenya567 records
- Buffalo Springs NRKenya477 records
More places
- Amboseli NPKenya210 records
- Tarangire NP – Tarangire Safari LodgeTanzania183 records
- Tsavo East NPKenya171 records
- Tsavo East NP – Southern SectionKenya171 records
- Shaba NRKenya148 records
- Meru NPKenya146 records
- Tsavo West NPKenya145 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
The black-faced sandgrouse (Pterocles decoratus) is a species of ground-dwelling bird in the Pteroclidae family. It is a mainly sedentary bird found in East Africa, ranging from Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Tanzania, and Uganda. It is a medium-sized bird which is well-adapted and well-camouflaged to life in arid environments.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Black-faced Sandgrouse?
The Black-faced Sandgrouse is about 28 cm long and weighs around 181 g.
Where does the Black-faced Sandgrouse live?
Its breeding range: Africa: eastern. It is most often recorded in Kenya, Tanzania and Ethiopia.
Is the Black-faced Sandgrouse endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Black-faced Sandgrouse as Least Concern.
What does the Black-faced Sandgrouse eat?
Main food: Seeds.
What family is the Black-faced Sandgrouse in?
It belongs to the family Sandgrouse (Pteroclidae), order Pterocliformes.
At a glance
- Length
- 28 cm
- Weight
- 181 g
- Habitat
- Shrubland
- Diet
- Seeds
- Lifestyle
- Active on the ground
- Migration
- Partial migrant
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 161 mm
- Tail
- 63 mm
- Bill
- 16 mm
- Tarsus
- 24 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Africa: eastern
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Pterocliformes
- Family
- Sandgrouse Pteroclidae
- Genus
- Pterocles
Other birds in the genus Pterocles
Pin-tailed SandgrousePterocles alchata
Namaqua SandgrousePterocles namaqua
Chestnut-bellied SandgrousePterocles exustus
Spotted SandgrousePterocles senegallus
Black-bellied SandgrousePterocles orientalis
Yellow-throated SandgrousePterocles gutturalis
Crowned SandgrousePterocles coronatus
Madagascar SandgrousePterocles personatus
Lichtenstein's SandgrousePterocles lichtensteinii
Painted SandgrousePterocles indicus
Four-banded SandgrousePterocles quadricinctus
Double-banded SandgrousePterocles bicinctus
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from reference photos. ↗
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