Published in September: Burchell’s Courser Cursorius rufus, Gould 1837, in Namibia: biometric and moult data, plumage and criteria for the determination of age

https://nje.org.na/index.php/nje/article/view/volume9-bryson2

Bryson U & Paijmans DM (2024) Burchell’s Courser Cursorius rufus, Gould 1837, in Namibia: biometric and moult data, plumage and criteria for the determination of age. Namibian Journal of Environment 9 D: 21–41.

This is the first comprehensive study on moult and plumage of Burchell’s Courser (Cursorius rufus). Biometric measurements are few, the moult strategy is undocumented and detailed depiction is scarce. As bird ringers, we have the unique opportunity to observe these aspects closely while handling live birds, providing valuable insights. We add the measurements from our study to other available measurements and present moult observations of seven Burchell’s Coursers from Namibia, of two age groups. Drawing on our own observations, existing literature, and public photographs, we aim to improve the understanding of plumage characteristics crucial for age determination during observation and ringing activities. We provide detailed descriptions of the plumage and moult variability across different age groups, highlighting similarities with the closely related Temminck’s Courser (Cursorius temminckii) and the Cream-coloured Courser (Cursorius cursor). We illustrate non-described features of the juvenile and the post-juvenile plumage and discuss the challenging aspects, mainly of primary moult of adults and first-year birds, emphasising the need for further research in this area.