Wildlifeof China
Pallas's Sandgrouse
Pigeons, Doves & Sandgrouse
Photo: Tomju48 · CC BY-SA 3.0 (May be cropped or resized)
Syrrhaptes paradoxus
China Red List: Least Concern (LC)
Basic stats
Habitat
Dry steppes and similar habitats
Range
Middle latitudes of central Asia; irruptive vagrant west to Great Britain
Clutch size
2–3 greenish eggs
Size
30–41cm
Pallas's sandgrouse is a medium to large sandgrouse, 30–41cm long, with a small pigeon-like head and neck on a sturdy, compact body. It has long pointed wings and tail and feathered legs and toes. The plumage is buff, barred above, with a black belly patch and pale underwings, which distinguish it from the related Tibetan sandgrouse (Wikipedia, general species account).
It breeds across the middle latitudes of central Asia on dry steppes and similar habitats. The nest is a ground scrape holding two or three greenish, cryptically marked eggs. It occasionally irrupts from its regular range as a vagrant across Europe as far west as Great Britain, where it has bred, and Ireland (Wikipedia, general species account).
Quick answers
- What habitat does the Pallas's Sandgrouse live in?
- Dry steppes and similar habitats
- Where is the Pallas's Sandgrouse found?
- Middle latitudes of central Asia; irruptive vagrant west to Great Britain
- How many eggs does the Pallas's Sandgrouse lay?
- 2–3 greenish eggs
- How big is the Pallas's Sandgrouse?
- 30–41cm