Somali Courser (Cursorius somalensis)
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Somali Courser

Cursorius somalensis Shelley, 1885

138 gWeight

The Somali courser (Cursorius somalensis) is a wader in the pratincole and courser family Glareolidae, native to eastern Africa in Eritrea, eastern Ethiopia, Somalia, extreme southeast South Sudan, and northern and eastern Kenya.

Busiest months: April · Most records: Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia

Least Concern

Where and when it's recorded

Busiest months: April · Most records: Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia

Somali Courser has been recorded at 13 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 3 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Buffalo Springs NRKenya221 records
  2. Tsavo East NP – Southern SectionKenya76 records
  3. Tsavo East NPKenya70 records
More places
  1. Shaba NRKenya59 records
  2. Samburu NRKenya53 records
  3. Buffalo Springs NR / Samburu NRKenya33 records
  4. Buffalo Springs NR – Samburu Simba LodgeKenya27 records
  5. Yabello areaEthiopia10 records
  6. Meru NPKenya7 records
  7. Tuuyo Plains, SomalilandSomalia3 records

Countries and regions with the most records

KenyaEthiopiaSomalia

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 Somali courser (Cursorius somalensis) is a wader in the pratincole and courser family Glareolidae, native to eastern Africa in Eritrea, eastern Ethiopia, Somalia, extreme southeast South Sudan, and northern and eastern Kenya. It is unusual among waders in being a bird of open dry country, preferably semi-desert, short grasslands, and burnt grass, where it typically hunts its insect prey by running on the ground.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Somali Courser?

The Somali Courser weighs around 138 g.

Where does the Somali Courser live?

Its breeding range: Africa: tropical semiarid northeastern Africa. It is most often recorded in Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia.

When is the best time to see the Somali Courser?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in April (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the Somali Courser endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Somali Courser as Least Concern.

What does the Somali Courser eat?

Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.

What family is the Somali Courser in?

It belongs to the family Coursers, Pratincoles (Glareolidae), order Charadriiformes.

At a glance

Weight
138 g
Habitat
Desert
Diet
Insects & other invertebrates
Lifestyle
Active on the ground
Migration
Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation
Least Concern
More measurements
Wing
129 mm
Tail
47 mm
Bill
27 mm
Tarsus
53 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Africa: tropical semiarid northeastern Africa

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

Family
Coursers, Pratincoles Glareolidae
Genus
Cursorius

Other birds in the genus Cursorius

Indian CourserIndian CourserCursorius coromandelicusTemminck's CourserTemminck's CourserCursorius temminckiiBurchell's CourserBurchell's CourserCursorius rufusCream-colored CourserCream-colored CourserCursorius cursorDouble-banded CourserDouble-banded CourserSmutsornis africanusBronze-winged CourserBronze-winged CourserRhinoptilus chalcopterusThree-banded CourserThree-banded CourserRhinoptilus cinctusJerdon's CourserJerdon's CourserRhinoptilus bitorquatusAustralian PratincoleAustralian PratincoleGlareola isabellaRock PratincoleRock PratincoleGlareola nuchalis
Somali Courser

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