The Cream Coloured Courser
Fuerteventura Fauna: A closer look at the Cream Coloured Courser in Fuerteventura
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The Cream-colored Courser or Cursorius Cursor
An Article by DaveG with The Voice Fuerteventura
Here in Fuerteventura, Canary Islands, this bird is known as Corredor sahariano and can often be seen enjoying the dessert landscape. So if you are a keen birdwatchers, keep a sharp eye out for these truly local desert birds.
WHERE TO FIND THEM
The first time I encountered this beautiful bird was while driving the narrow road down to Pozo Negro. There were two of them feeding close to the edge of the road, and they seemed to ignore the cars passing by. And as expected, once you see one of them..... you see more and they seem to be plentiful around the Island. I personally have seen them near Triquivijate, Los Molinos and also in Villaverde and apparently they can be found all over the island.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
They are one of the most striking birds if you can get close enough. It is rare to see them in flight and more likely to see them running across the desert soil that they prefer. They camouflage beautifully with their surroundings. They eat mostly adult and larval insects, including beetles, grasshoppers, termites, cockroaches, maggots, ants, bugs and flies.
BREEDING
Although classified as waders they are truly a desert bird and live in dry arid areas, such as Fuerteventura. Some describe them as the ‘road runner look-a-like’ because of their usual running along the ground. These birds have long legs and long wings. They have slightly down curved bills. The body plumage is sandy in colour, fading to whitish on the lower belly. The upper wing primary feathers and the underwings are black. The crown and nape are grey, and there is a black eye stripe and white supercilium. They weigh between 102–119 g and have a wingspan of between 51–57 cm.
