Eupodotis senegalensis

Cladus: Eukaryota
Supergroup: Opisthokonta
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Cladus: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Classis: Aves
Subclassis: Carinatae
Infraclassis: Neornithes
Parvclassis: Neognathae
Ordo: Gruiformes
Familia: Otididae
Genus: Eupodotis
Species: Eupodotis senegalensis

Name

Eupodotis senegalensis (Vieillot, 1820)

References

* Vieillot 1821. Tabl.Encyc.Meth.Orn. 2 livr.89 p.333

Vernacular names
Internationalization
English: White-bellied Bustard
Polski: Dropik senegalski
Português: Abetarda-de-barriga-branca

The White-bellied Bustard, White-bellied Korhaan, or Senegal Bustard (Eupodotis senegalensis) is a species of bird in the bustard family.

Range and habitat

It is found in Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, and Zambia. It lives in various habitats from grassland to open woodland.[1]

Description

It is rather small for a bustard, 48 to 61 centimetres (19 to 24 in) long. All are tawny brown above and on the breast and white on the belly, with cream-coloured legs; juveniles have light brown necks and heads, and adults have blue-grey necks. The adult female has a grey crown, a brown and buff line below the eye, and black speckling on the throat. The adult male has a black crown, black lines on the white cheeks, a black throat patch, and a pinkish-red bill. The call, often given in the early morning and late evening, has been described as "a very loud, guttural k'whuka WHUKa, k'wuka WHUKa..., or k'warrak, k'warrak...[2]

This species is usually seen in pairs or family groups, as young stay with their parents much longer than those of other bustards in the region.[2].

Subspecies

Five subspecies are recognized:[3]

* E. s. senegalensis (Vieillot, 1820) – southwestern Mauritania and Guinea, east to Central African Republic, central Sudan, and perhaps Eritrea
* E. s. canicollis (Reichenow, 1881) – Ethiopia south to northeastern Tanzania
* E. s. erlangeri (Reichenow, 1905) – southern Kenya and western Tanzania
* E. s. mackenzei (White, 1945) – eastern Gabon and central Democratic Republic of the Congo to Zambia and Angola
* E. s. barrowii (J. E. Gray, 1829, sometimes considered a distinct species) – Botswana, South Africa, and Swaziland

References

1. ^ Sibley, Charles G.; Monroe, Burt L., Jr. (1990), Distribution and Taxonomy of Birds of the World, Yale University Press, p. 217, ISBN 0-300-04969-2, http://books.google.com/books?id=Wk-vyrNVAccC&pg=PA217#v=onepage&q=&f=false, retrieved 2010-03-24
2. ^ a b Zimmerman, Dale A.; Turner, Donald A.; Pearson, David J. (1999), Birds of Kenya and Northern Tanzania, Princeton University Press, pp. 76–77, 328, ISBN 0-691-01022-6
3. ^ White-bellied Bustard, Internet Bird Collection

* BirdLife International, 2004. Eupodotis senegalensis. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 24 July 2007.
* White-bellied Bustard, Birdlife International