the 10 types of the reindeer-birds or desert-runners is led together with Brachschwalben in a common family, since a series of common anatomical characteristics points out this close relationship.
Characteristics In the behavior, desert-runners however clearly differ from Brachschwalben. Reindeer-birds have quite short wings long, powerful legs with only 3 toes (as at many fast runners), and relatively long, downward bent, pointed beaks. its plumage is camouflage-colored brown, beige and sallow until on the prominent head-drawing (whiten, black or brown vertical stripes) as well as the black Handschwingen and sub-wing-decks (which attract attention however only in the flight) so that desert-runners take off hardly visibly opposite the pale underground of its home-like landscapes. Both sexes resemble from.
Enemy-behavior With acute danger, reindeer-birds trust in its camouflage-dress and duck motionlessly, about only at the last moment very fast from it-flies. Usually, reindeer-birds stretch themselves highly upwards on the toes however already in good time in order to hold as well stretched neck lookout for enemies. As soon as they notice something suspicious, they run fast from it and think of time to time abruptly inside in order to secure again.
Way of life, spread Reindeer-birds live in pairs or in small groups in the deserts, semi-deserts, bush and savannas of Africa (6 types), Asia (3 types) and Australia (1 types). They catch its food - insects and other small invertebrates as well as occasionally also small reptiles - on the ground.
Actual reindeer-birds It is the 23 cm big reindeer-bird (Cursorius cursor) over the Kapverdischen and the Canary islands, Africa (southwards as far as to the Chad and Kenya) and Asia (Arabia); Afghanistan and Pakistan, spreads.
it broods, as usually all reindeer-birds, in one flat ones, ungepolsterten ground-hollow and pulls up 2 yearly-broods in many places. The nest consists of 2 (rarely also 3) eggs (3,5 x 2,7 cm), that sprinkled sand-colored and is camouflaged very well consequently. Both alto-birds share the brood-business and feed also them, bedunten Nestflüchter bay-knows together. The boys leave the nest already on the first life-day and come the parents after its expeditions.
The Temminckrennvogel (Cursorius temminckii) from Africa (from Gambia and Ethiopia as far as to the South-top) is the smallest reindeer-bird with 20 cm of total-length. The mainly night-active bandage-reindeer-bird (Hemerodromus cinctus) becomes 25 cm long on the other hand.
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