Pterocles alchata

Pin-tailed sandgrouse

Taxonomy
Phylum Chordates (Chordata)
Class Birds (Aves)
Order  (Columbiformes)
Family  (Pteroclidae)
Genus  (Pterocles)
Species Authority Linnaeus, 1758
Information
Summary Status: rare (Category III), decreasing in number and area of distribution. The pin-tailed sandgrouse inhabits the deserts of North Africa, the Near East and Central Asia. In Kazakstan it is found from the Aral Sea to the Betpak Dala Desert. During the past several years, both the area where it is found and its numbers have been considerably reduced. In the 1960s, flocks of tens and even hundreds of thousands of birds could be observed. Today, flocks of several hundreds is a rarity. The basic factors causing the decline in pin-tailed sandgrouse populations are poaching (at the water holes) and the disturbance of nesting birds by humans. To protect the pin-tailed sandgrouse, it is necessary to create both the Betpak Dala Preserve and the Kyzyl Kum Preserve and to forbid hunting at all watering places.

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