What is Jerdon’s Courser?

About Jerdon’s Courser:

• It is a nocturnal cursorial (adapted for walking and running) bird endemic to the Eastern Ghats of India.
• Scientific Name: Rhinoptilus bitorquatus
• It was considered to be extinct from the beginning of the 20th century until its rediscovery in 1986. 
• Habitat: It inhabits open patches within scrub forests.
• Distribution: It is found only in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
• Features:
  • It is a delicate lapwing-like bird with a large eye and a short, bicolored bill.
  • Its upper plumage is grey-brown, chin and throat are whitish, fore-neck is rufous and separated from its brown breast by a white band. 
  • A second white band runs across the lower portion of its breast (hence it was earlier called a double-banded courser).
  • The belly is whitish, while its tail is black-and-white (visible in flight). The legs are pale yellow.
  • The call is a short series of two-noted whistles “tuick-tuoo.”
  • They are insectivorous, hunting invertebrates by sight.
• Conservation Status:
  • IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered