Cursorius
| Cursorius | |
|---|---|
| Burchell's courser (Cursorius rufus) | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Charadriiformes |
| Family: | Glareolidae |
| Subfamily: | Cursoriinae |
| Genus: | Cursorius Latham, 1790 |
| Type species | |
| Cursorius europaeus = Charadrius cursor Latham, 1790
| |
| Species | |
|
C. cursor | |
Cursorius is a genus of coursers, a group of birds in the pratincole family Glareolidae, in the order Charadriiformes. The genus name derive from Latin cursor meaning "runner".
There are five species which breed in Africa and South Asia. They have, compared to pratincoles, longer legs, shorter wings and longer pointed bills which curve downwards. They inhabit deserts and similar arid regions. Like the related pratincoles, the coursers are found in warmer parts of the Old World. They hunt insects by sight, pursuing them on foot.
Their 2–3 eggs are laid on the ground.