Bronze-winged courser facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bronze-winged courser |
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| Conservation status | |
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Rhinoptilus
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| Species: |
chalcopterus
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The bronze-winged courser is a cool bird also known as the violet-tipped courser. Its scientific name is Rhinoptilus chalcopterus. It gets its name from special bronze-tipped feathers you can see when it flies! You can find this bird in Sub-Saharan Africa, living in dry savannas and woodlands.
This bird is active at night and loves to eat insects it finds on the ground. Bronze-winged coursers usually live alone. They only find a partner for breeding, and they stay together for that season. A female can lay 2-3 eggs at a time. Both parents help take care of the young chicks. The bronze-winged courser is not considered endangered. In fact, its population is quite stable.
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About the Bronze-Winged Courser
The bronze-winged courser is a small wading bird with long legs and short wings. It is the biggest type of courser bird. These birds are about 25-29 centimeters long. Their wingspan can reach up to 58 centimeters. They usually weigh between 91 and 220 grams.
How to Spot an Adult
Adult bronze-winged coursers have special markings on their heads. Their body colors also help you recognize them. Grown-up birds have a dull grey-brown upper chest and back. Their upper tail is white, and the rest of the tail is dark brown with white edges.
A thin black band crosses their chest. This band separates the brownish-grey upper chest from the buffy lower chest and belly. Their head has bright cream-white stripes. These stripes are above their eyes, on their forehead, and behind their eyes. Their upper neck and throat are buffy. The areas around their eyes are darker brown-black.
The feathers under their wings are white. This contrasts with their dark black wingtip feathers. These wingtips have a shiny copper to violet color. You can only see these shiny tips when the bird is flying. This is why it's called the "bronze-winged courser"!
Their beak is long and curves slightly downwards. It is black with a reddish-purple base. Their eyes are large and have a bright reddish-purple ring around them. Their long legs are red.
When flying, adult bronze-winged coursers might look like lapwings. Both birds have similar colors under their wings and are about the same size.
How to Spot a Young Bird
Young bronze-winged coursers are not as brightly colored as adults. The feathers on their upper body have cream-yellow tips. The dark band on their chest is even thinner. Baby chicks look speckled, almost like burnt sand or dry plants.
Where Do They Live?
The bronze-winged courser lives in parts of Sub-Saharan Africa. They move to different areas of the continent depending on the season. It is believed they breed in the southern parts of their range. After breeding, they migrate north. The breeding season is from July to December.
These birds have been seen in many places over time. Some of these include Eritrea, Nigeria, Ghana, Sudan, Kenya, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Gambia, and Ethiopia.
Their Home and Challenges
Bronze-winged coursers live in dry places. These include dry savanna woodlands with thick bushes. They are rarely found in open areas like grasslands near wooded savannas. They usually live in lower areas. However, they can be found in places up to 2,350 meters high. Breeding likely happens in lower areas, probably not above 1700 meters.
Human activities can disturb bronze-winged coursers. This is especially true when their habitat is changed for farming. Clearing woodlands reduces the places where these birds can live. Other birds also hunt them. These include the Bateleur and the Tawny Eagle.
How They Behave
Bird Calls
You can hear the bronze-winged courser's calls at night. Otherwise, they are usually quiet birds.
What They Eat
The bronze-winged courser mainly eats insects. They likely feed on insects found on the ground, like grasshoppers. They hunt for food at night. They walk or run around, pecking at the ground to catch their prey. This is similar to how plovers hunt.
How They Reproduce
Bronze-winged coursers usually live alone. But they form pairs for breeding. Even in pairs, they are territorial. Their nests are at least 100 meters apart. Breeding happens during the dry season.
They often choose nesting spots that have recently had fires. They usually don't build a real nest. Instead, they clear a small spot, often just a 1-centimeter deep dip in the ground. They nest in open areas where they can see well.
The female lays up to 3 eggs. These eggs are camouflaged to blend in with their surroundings. This helps the eggs survive in an open nest. The egg colors can vary. They often look like the environment where they are laid. Eggs can be cream to yellow, with hints of grey, brown, black, or even purple. They are small, about 33-40mm long and 25-28mm wide.
Both parents take turns sitting on the eggs for 25–27 days. One parent sits on the nest while the other watches nearby. If a predator comes close, the parents will leave the nest. They move at least 5 meters away from the nest if they feel threatened.
Once the chicks hatch, both parents take care of them. We don't know how long it takes for the chicks to learn to fly. Baby chicks are white underneath. From above, they look speckled with red-brown and black. Their legs are dark grey, and their beak is black.
Status and Protection
The bronze-winged courser is considered a species of Least Concern. This means it is not globally threatened. It is well protected by nature and game reserves in its habitat.
It is hard to count the exact number of bronze-winged coursers. Their population size is often underestimated.
Sometimes, these birds are hit by cars. Since they are active at night, they can be found running on roads. Other deaths are usually due to local wildlife hunting them.
