Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Cladus: Craniata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Cladus: Reptiliomorpha
Cladus: Amniota
Classis: Reptilia
Cladus: Eureptilia
Cladus: Romeriida
Subclassis: Diapsida
Cladus: Sauria
Infraclassis: Archosauromorpha
Cladus: Crurotarsi
Divisio: Archosauria
Subsectio: Ornithodira
Subtaxon: Dinosauromorpha
Cladus: Dinosauria
Ordo: Saurischia
Cladus: Eusaurischia
Cladus: Theropoda
Cladus: Neotheropoda
Infraclassis: Aves
Cladus: Euavialae
Cladus: Avebrevicauda
Cladus: Pygostylia
Cladus: Ornithothoraces
Cladus: Euornithes
Cladus: Ornithuromorpha
Cladus: Ornithurae
Cladus: Carinatae
Parvclassis: Neornithes
Cohors: Neognathae
Ordo: Charadriiformes
Subordo: Charadrii
Familia: Glareolidae
Subfamilia: Cursoriinae
Genus: Rhinoptilus
Species: R. africanus - R. bitorquatus - R. chalcopterus - R. cinctus
Name
Rhinoptilus Strickland, 1852
References
Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London (1850) Pt18 no.214 p.220
Rhinoptilus is a genus of coursers, a group of wading birds. There are three species, which breed in Africa and South Asia. They have long legs, short wings and long pointed bills which curve downwards. Although classed as waders, they inhabit deserts and similar arid regions. Like the pratincoles, the coursers are found in warmer parts of the Old World. They hunt insects by sight, pursuing them on foot.[1]
Species in the genus have earlier been placed under other genus names including Macrotarsius (Blyth), Chalcopterus (Reich.) and Hemerodromus (Heuglin). Some characteristics of this largely African genus include a bill that is shorter and stouter than in Cursorius, the orbits are feathered and the 2nd and 3rd primaries nearly equal and the longest. The tarsus is long and scutellate, the feet are short and the outer toe is joined by partial webbing.[2]
Their 2–3 eggs are laid on the ground.
Species in taxonomic order
Three-banded courser Rhinoptilus cinctus
Bronze-winged courser or Violet-tipped courser, Rhinoptilus chalcopterus
Jerdon's courser Rhinoptilus bitorquatus
Double-banded courser, Rhinoptilus africanus
References
Hayman, Marchant and Prater (1986) Shorebirds ISBN 0-395-37903-2
Jerdon, T. C. (1864) The Birds of India. Volume 3. p. 628
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