Birda Logo
Features
Birda+
About
Species Guide
Challenges
Shop
loading...
A photo of a Cream-colored Courser (Cursorius cursor)
Cream-colored Courser

Cream-colored Courser

Cursorius cursor

The Cream-colored Courser, known scientifically as Cursorius cursor, is a captivating bird, a member of the pratincole and courser family, Glareolidae. Its name, derived from the Latin "cursor," meaning "runner," aptly describes its terrestrial habits. This bird is distinguished by its sandy body plumage, which fades to a whitish hue on the lower belly, and its long legs and wings, which are well-adapted to its ground-dwelling lifestyle.

Identification Tips

When observing the Cream-colored Courser, look for its slightly downcurved bill, a grey crown and nape, and a distinctive black eyestripe with a contrasting white supercilium. In flight, it may remind one of a pratincole due to its relaxed wingbeats, pointed wings, and dark underwings.

Habitat

These birds favor dry open semi-desert regions, where they can be seen gracefully moving across the landscape in search of insects.

Distribution

The Cream-colored Courser's range spans the Canary Islands, Cape Verde, North Africa, and Southwest Asia. It is partially migratory, with populations moving to India, Arabia, and the southern Sahara for wintering. Some also breed in the southern desert regions of northwestern India and Pakistan.

Behaviour

The Cream-colored Courser exhibits a preference for running rather than flying when hunting for prey, which consists mainly of insects. Its breeding season is quite flexible, occurring from February to September, and sometimes extending into autumn and winter when conditions are favorable, such as after rainfall.

Song & Calls

The vocalizations of the Cream-colored Courser are less commonly described, but like many of its relatives, it likely has a repertoire suited to its open habitat.

Breeding

Breeding Cream-colored Coursers lay two eggs in a simple ground scrape. Their breeding habits are influenced by local conditions, particularly rainfall, which can extend the breeding season beyond the typical period.

Similar Species

While in flight, the Cream-colored Courser may be mistaken for a pratincole due to its flight characteristics and dark underwings.

Diet and Feeding

The diet of the Cream-colored Courser is primarily composed of insects, which they chase and capture on the ground with remarkable agility.

Conservation status

The IUCN Red List currently classifies the Cream-colored Courser as Least Concern, indicating that, at present, there are no immediate threats to its population levels that would warrant a higher degree of conservation action.

App logo
Birda is a birdwatching app and community aimed at curious people who want to deepen their connection with nature.

Cream-colored Coursers on Birda

Photos
Sightings

More Coursers, Pratincoles

A photo of a Indian Courser (Cursorius coromandelicus)

Indian Courser

Cursorius coromandelicus
Birda Logo

Your birdwatching journey like never before

Connect with nature in minutes
Take a walk, look out of the window and log the birds that you see. Feel good about those little connections to nature.
Discover the joy of birding
Find new birding spots, see more birds, share and celebrate with a like-minded community of nature lovers.
Play your part in saving nature
Logging your birding sightings and sessions turns into positive action for our planet. Every sighting counts.

Birda Blog

What Our Birders Say
Emma L
App got me interested in birding!
Super friendly community <3 This app got me interested in birding! It teaches me cool stuff and its super friendly, and fun :) The species guide is really developing my knowledge, and i love seeing cool new birds from round the world!
Trevarthen1
Birda fan
I really enjoy using Birda, all sightings are recorded and photos can be added. There are monthly challenges which help to get you out to record your sightings. The Birda community are great and are happy to help with unidentified bird sightings. Suitable for all ages and experience!
Nick S
Work together with community
Been loving using this app to log my bird sightings and work together with community members to identify different birds. I've already learned a lot since I started about a month ago!
Stewart W
Fantastic to be involved
Fantastic to be involved, great for mental health and gets you responding with the Challenges that are to takd part in.
Marlster24
Recommend for any bird watcher
Very wholesome app: I joined this app with a new interest in watching birds to help me find out what I was spotting. The community is very active in helping identify birds which is great and everyone is very kind so it’s just a nice wholesome community. I would definitely recommend this for any bird spotter πŸ˜ƒ
Mike T
Sense of Community
A great app, which is continually being improved. What really comes through is the passion of those behind the app. The sense of community is brilliant, so much help and support provided to new and/or in experienced birders.
Paul F
Very good database
Highly recommend. It great that this app shows you male Vs female variations when posting. Very good database I'm really impressed.
SuperOliviaGirl
Really great app
It’s easy to use and it’s fun to log the birds you notice on a walk or just in your garden. There’s a option to record the birds you see in a session which is really nice. Good excuse to stop for a while and just watch birds. I am also enjoying the information part where you can find out fact about birds from all over the world.
Birdafan
Ideal Birdwatch Companion
Simply adds to the enjoyment of my birdwatching and helps me record what I’ve seen.
Sacha0508
Simply fantastic
I love this app, it puts so much fun into recording the birds I’ve seen and heard while I’m out and about. The interface is user-friendly and suitable for all ages. It’s great to collect badges and to review my β€œlists”.
As featured in
Birda Logo
AboutPressAmbassadorsAffiliatesInfluencersCareersPrivacyTerms & Conditions
An app for birdwatchers
Connect with us
Copyright Β© 2024 Chirp Birding. All rights reserved.