Plumages, Molts, and Structure

The Temminck's Courser has ten primaries (numbered distally from innermost p1 to outermost p10 and with the p10 about ≧95% of the length of p9), sixteen secondaries (numbered proximally from outermost s1 to innermost s16), and 12 rectrices (numbered distally from innermost r1 to outermost r6 on each side of the tail) (1 Featherguide, T., Editor (2024). Atlas of Feathers for Western Palearctic Birds. A Collective Work of the Feather Research Group. Volume 1: Introduction. Featherguide Publishers, Vlodrop, Netherlands. Close , 2 Engelbrecht, D. (2025). Notes on the behaviour and breeding biology of Temminck’s Courser Cursorius temminckii. The Lark 58:79–86. Close ). There are no emarginations on any of the primaries. The wing point is formed by p9 and p10, but p9 usually the longest; the typical wing formula is p10≥p9>p8>p7>p6>p5>p4>p3>p2>p1 (3 Engelbrecht, D. (2024). Wing formulas. The Lark 56:90–92. Close , 1 Featherguide, T., Editor (2024). Atlas of Feathers for Western Palearctic Birds. A Collective Work of the Feather Research Group. Volume 1: Introduction. Featherguide Publishers, Vlodrop, Netherlands. Close ). The sexes show similar appearances in all plumages. The following plumage descriptions are primarily based on those of Maclean and Urban (4 Maclean, G. L., and E. K. Urban (1986). Burchell’s Courser Cursorius rufus Gould. In The Birds of Africa. Volume 2 (E. K. Urban, C. H. Fry, and S. Keith, Editors). Academic Press, London, UK. pp. 211–212. Close ), Hockey (5 Hockey, P. A. R. (2005). Temminck’s Courser Cursorius temminckii. In Roberts Birds of Southern Africa (P. A. R. Hockey, W. R. J. Dean, and P. G. Ryan, Editors), Trustees of the John Voelcker Bird Book Fund, Cape Town, South Africa. pp. 426–427. Close ), and Bryson and Paijmans (6 Bryson, U., and D. M. Paijmans (2024). Temminck´s Courser Cursorius temminckii, Swainson 1822: plumage, moult, biometrics, and determination of age. Afrotropical Bird Biology 4:1–20. Close ), supplemented with an examination of Macaulay Library images and personal observations (G. D. Engelbrecht, unpublished observations).

Natal Down

The natal down is mottled with tufts of rufous, chestnut brown, golden brown, and black, with white speckling on the crown and upperparts. The plumage is highly adaptive, rendering highly effective camouflage in the burnt areas where Temminck's Courser breeds. The neck has a broad, white collar that extends to the cheeks and chin. The neck and throat are bare, and the skin is purplish black. The underparts are predominantly whitish with a buff to rufous wash across the chest. A fringe of long, white, wispy feathers encircles the chick when viewed from above, possibly providing disruptive camouflage.

Juvenile (First Basic) Plumage

The feathers of the crown and the rest of the upperparts, including the upperwing coverts, are buff or rufous with a dark-brown band across the mid-section of each feather, creating a mottled appearance. The dorsal feathers are frayed at their tips, giving the dorsal surface a shredded appearance . A cap starts to develop, but is mottled buff and brown instead of the rich, rufous color of the adult. The lores and auriculars are creamy buff, sometimes with a pale rufous wash. The buff or pale rufous supercilium gradually turns white, and the broad black stripe below the supercilium begins to form but is broken and not well-defined on the hind crown and nape. The ventral coloration is gradually attained, and the black belly patch begins to form. The dark rufous chest has darker brown or black spots or streaks, and the vent is white, as are the feathers on the legs. The central rectrices are dark brown to black with buff scalloping or barring. The outer rectrices are blackish-brown with buff tips. The remiges are black, the primaries with narrow rufous fringes and tips distally, and the secondaries with broad buff or pale rufous margins and tips distally. The innermost secondaries (tertials) are not as long as in the adults but are about the same length as the secondaries. The tertials are initially patterned and later become the plain color of adults (6 Bryson, U., and D. M. Paijmans (2024). Temminck´s Courser Cursorius temminckii, Swainson 1822: plumage, moult, biometrics, and determination of age. Afrotropical Bird Biology 4:1–20. Close ).

Immature (Formative) Plumage

This plumage is intermediate between the mottled appearance of the juvenile and the plain plumage of the adult. The Immature Plumage phase lasts for months, likely more than a year (6 Bryson, U., and D. M. Paijmans (2024). Temminck´s Courser Cursorius temminckii, Swainson 1822: plumage, moult, biometrics, and determination of age. Afrotropical Bird Biology 4:1–20. Close ). Hence, individuals in this plumage show considerable variation concerning the extent of rufous on the crown (diffused mottled brown to almost entirely rufous), the color of the supercilium (from buff to white towards the end of this plumage phase), the extent of the black eyestripe (narrow and broken to well-developed and meeting on the nape), the extent of the black belly patch, and the presence of a variable number of residual juvenile feathers, especially on the mantle, back, and wing coverts (6 Bryson, U., and D. M. Paijmans (2024). Temminck´s Courser Cursorius temminckii, Swainson 1822: plumage, moult, biometrics, and determination of age. Afrotropical Bird Biology 4:1–20. Close ). The underparts, especially the rufous parts, appear, on average, paler and more washed-out than in adults. The feathers of the black belly patch have buff fringes . The primaries are black with narrow buff margins, and the secondaries are dark brown with slightly paler and broader distal margins. The most distal secondary (s1) is shorter than the other secondaries (see Adult Plumage). The tertials are about the same length as the longest secondaries and do not reach the tail tip (see Adult Plumage).

Adult (Definitive Basic) Plumage

Sexes alike. The crown varies from rusty brown to rich chestnut or rufous, often with somebrown mottling on the forecrown. The forecrown is pale rufous, grading to rich chestnut on the mid- and hind crown and terminating in black on the hind crown and nape. The rest of the upperparts, including the upperwing coverts, are dull, grayish brown, except for a partial ruff of "scraggly" feathers on the lower neck, which is often a shade darker than the rest of the dorsal plumage. A broad, white supercilium is bordered below by a broad, black eyestripe, both of which extend backward to meet in a sharp "V" on the nape. There is a small, dusky patch in front of the eye (the lores of juveniles and immatures are buff). The auricles are pale rufous, the chin and throat white or tinged pale rufous. The upper breast is the same dull grayish brown as the upperparts but with a slight rufous tinge and grading to deep, rich chestnut on the lower breast where it meets the black belly patch . The belly patch extends from the lower breast to between the legs. The rest of the underparts, including the flanks, are white. The primaries are black, fringed pale buff when fresh, contrasting strongly with the grayish-brown coverts. The outer secondaries are black, and the inner ones are grayish brown. The outer secondaries (ss1–12) have white edging at their tips, creating a white trailing edge that abrades with time. The most distal secondaries (ss1–4) have very narrow white edging, but this becomes broader, especially on the proximal vane, on ss5–11, and is narrow on s12 again. The most distal secondary (s1) is the same length as the rest of the secondaries (see Immature Plumage). The innermost secondaries (tertials) reach the tail tip in adults. The tertials are grayish brown, matching the color of the upperparts, are long, and reach the tail tip. In the folded wing, the tertials cover the underlying remiges entirely, shielding them from exposure and abrasion. The greater coverts are black, while the rest are grayish brown. The underwing is all dark. The central rectrices are plain grayish brown; the rest have a black subterminal band and white tip. The outermost rectrices are white but with some grayish-brown on the inner vane. In flight , the black primaries, outer secondaries, and primary coverts contrast with the otherwise brown back, inner secondaries, and coverts.

Molt and plumage terminology follows Humphrey and Parkes (7 Humphrey, P. S., and K. C. Parkes (1959). An approach to the study of molts and plumages. Auk 76(1):1–31. Close ), as modified by Howell et al. (8 Howell, S. N. G., C. Corben, P. Pyle, and D. I. Rogers (2003). The first basic problem: A review of molt and plumage homologies. Condor 105:635–653. Close ). Under this nomenclature, terminology is based on evolution of molts along ancestral lineages of birds from ecdysis (molts) of reptiles (9 Pyle, P., S. N. G. Howell, D. I. Rogers, and C. Corben (2024). Moult terminology: Envisioning an evolutionary approach. Journal of Avian Biology 2024:e03169. Close ), rather than on molts relative to current breeding seasons, locations, or time of the year, the latter generally referred to as “life-cycle” molt terminology (10 Jenni, L., and R. Winkler (2020). Moult and Ageing of European Passerines. 2nd edition. Bloomsbury, London, UK. Close ). In north-temperate latitudes, the Humphrey-Parkes (H-P) and life-cycle nomenclatures correspond to some extent, but terms are not synonyms due to the differing bases of definition (11 Pyle, P. (2022). Defining moults in migratory birds: A sequence-based approach. Journal of Avian Biology 2022:e02958. Close ). Prebasic Molt often corresponds to Post-breeding/Post-nuptial Molt, Preformative Molt often corresponds to Post-juvenile Molt, and Prealternate Molt often corresponds to Pre-breeding Molt of life-cycle terminology. However, for species that suspend Prebasic or Preformative Molts for migration or undergo extensive molts on winter grounds, such as the case with some coursers (12 Cramp, S. (1983). Handbook of the Birds of Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. The Birds of the Western Palaearctic. Volume 3. Waders to gulls. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ), there is often a lack of correspondence between H-P and life-cycle terms (11 Pyle, P. (2022). Defining moults in migratory birds: A sequence-based approach. Journal of Avian Biology 2022:e02958. Close ). The terms Prejuvenile Molt and Juvenile Plumage are preserved under H-P terminology (considered synonyms of First Prebasic Molt and First Basic Plumage, respectively), and the former terms do correspond with those in life-cycle terminology.

The Temminck's Courser appears to show a Complex Basic Molt strategy (see 8 Howell, S. N. G., C. Corben, P. Pyle, and D. I. Rogers (2003). The first basic problem: A review of molt and plumage homologies. Condor 105:635–653. Close ), with a partial-to-incomplete (possibly complete) Preformative Molt and complete Definitive Prebasic Molts, but no Prealternate Molts. Limited "pre-breeding" molts have been suggested for Cream-colored Courser (Cursorius cursor) (12 Cramp, S. (1983). Handbook of the Birds of Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. The Birds of the Western Palaearctic. Volume 3. Waders to gulls. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ), but these may have been based on continuation of suspended molts on winter grounds, or may occur in species that are more migratory than Temminck's Courser. Examination of Macaulay Library images indicates little or no evidence for these molts in Temminck's Courser, and here they are assumed not to occur.

Prejuvenile Molt

This molt occurs on the natal territory and starts when the first primaries are in pin at four days of age (2 Engelbrecht, D. (2025). Notes on the behaviour and breeding biology of Temminck’s Courser Cursorius temminckii. The Lark 58:79–86. Close ; see Breeding: Young Birds).

Preformative Molt

The juvenile plumage lasts a few weeks to a few months before the somewhat protracted Preformative Molt starts (6 Bryson, U., and D. M. Paijmans (2024). Temminck´s Courser Cursorius temminckii, Swainson 1822: plumage, moult, biometrics, and determination of age. Afrotropical Bird Biology 4:1–20. Close ). As can be expected for a species with such a large range and hence variation in breeding seasonality, the timing of the onset of the Preformative Molt is also variable (see Breeding: Phenology); first-year birds undergoing this molt were recorded in March in South Africa (13 Clancey, P. A. (1984). Geographical variation and post-breeding dispersal in Temminck’s Courser of the Afrotropics. Gerfaut 74(4):361–374. Close ) and in Ethiopia, January to March in Namibia (14 Hoesch, W., and G. Niethammer (1940). Die Vögelwelt Deutsch-Sudwestafrikas namentlich des Damara- und Namalandes. Journal für Ornithologie 88 (Supplement). 404 pp. Close , 6 Bryson, U., and D. M. Paijmans (2024). Temminck´s Courser Cursorius temminckii, Swainson 1822: plumage, moult, biometrics, and determination of age. Afrotropical Bird Biology 4:1–20. Close ), November in Rwanda, and December in Tanzania (cf. ). During the Preformative Molt, the boldly patterned juvenile contour feathers are gradually replaced by the plainer adult plumage. The duration of this molt is unknown, but it often extends into the second year of the individual's life, and possibly longer (6 Bryson, U., and D. M. Paijmans (2024). Temminck´s Courser Cursorius temminckii, Swainson 1822: plumage, moult, biometrics, and determination of age. Afrotropical Bird Biology 4:1–20. Close ). The protracted molt hypothesis is supported by what appears to be two generations of post-juvenile coverts in some individuals (6 Bryson, U., and D. M. Paijmans (2024). Temminck´s Courser Cursorius temminckii, Swainson 1822: plumage, moult, biometrics, and determination of age. Afrotropical Bird Biology 4:1–20. Close ). This protracted molt leads to a patchy appearance, as a varying number of well-marked, residual juvenile feathers are interspersed amongst the new, plain plumage of an adult, especially on the wing coverts and scapulars (6 Bryson, U., and D. M. Paijmans (2024). Temminck´s Courser Cursorius temminckii, Swainson 1822: plumage, moult, biometrics, and determination of age. Afrotropical Bird Biology 4:1–20. Close ). During their Preformative Molt, the Cream-colored Courser (Cursorius cursor) replaces its innermost primary and tail feathers (15 Glutz von Blotzheim, U. N., and K. M. Bauer, Editors (1986). Handbuch der Vögel Mitteleuropas. Aula Verlag, Wiesbaden, Germany. Close ), a pattern likely followed by Temminck's Courser as well (6 Bryson, U., and D. M. Paijmans (2024). Temminck´s Courser Cursorius temminckii, Swainson 1822: plumage, moult, biometrics, and determination of age. Afrotropical Bird Biology 4:1–20. Close ). Additionally, the most distal secondary (s1) is replaced early in the Preformative Molt (6 Bryson, U., and D. M. Paijmans (2024). Temminck´s Courser Cursorius temminckii, Swainson 1822: plumage, moult, biometrics, and determination of age. Afrotropical Bird Biology 4:1–20. Close ). For first-year birds, primary molt is descendent and coincides with the adult post-breeding molt that has been recorded between January and March in Namibia (6 Bryson, U., and D. M. Paijmans (2024). Temminck´s Courser Cursorius temminckii, Swainson 1822: plumage, moult, biometrics, and determination of age. Afrotropical Bird Biology 4:1–20. Close ). However, it is unknown when Temminck's Courser completes its first primary molt cycle. Study is needed.

Second and Definitive Prebasic Molts

Molt in adults is a highly complex and protracted process with many individual variations (12 Cramp, S. (1983). Handbook of the Birds of Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. The Birds of the Western Palaearctic. Volume 3. Waders to gulls. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close , 6 Bryson, U., and D. M. Paijmans (2024). Temminck´s Courser Cursorius temminckii, Swainson 1822: plumage, moult, biometrics, and determination of age. Afrotropical Bird Biology 4:1–20. Close ). This is likely the result of the species' nomadic behavior and, especially in arid regions, opportunistic breeding, which may affect the timing of the molt onset or cause it to be suspended during breeding. Nevertheless, a complete Definitive Prebasic Molt typically follows breeding. The timing varies regionally due to the breeding seasonality of different populations across its range (see Breeding: Phenology) and, to a certain extent, interannually, depending on when breeding occurs at a local scale. Central African birds can undertake this molt on the breeding grounds in December–February, before apparently moving south (16 Hanmer, D. B. (1998). Miscellaneous measurements and moult of non-passerine birds from Mozambique and Malawi 3: Crakes, waders and other water-associated birds. Honeyguide 44(1):14–18. Close ). In Namibia, molting birds were recorded from December to March (6 Bryson, U., and D. M. Paijmans (2024). Temminck´s Courser Cursorius temminckii, Swainson 1822: plumage, moult, biometrics, and determination of age. Afrotropical Bird Biology 4:1–20. Close ). The protracted molt may result in two or even three molt waves of a (seemingly) serially descendent molt of the primaries (6 Bryson, U., and D. M. Paijmans (2024). Temminck´s Courser Cursorius temminckii, Swainson 1822: plumage, moult, biometrics, and determination of age. Afrotropical Bird Biology 4:1–20. Close ). Study is needed.

Bill and Gape

In adults and juveniles, the bill is slate black to black, moderately long and decurved in adults, and slightly shorter in juveniles. The base of the mandible is paler, ranging from pinkish horn to pale pinkish, occasionally pale yellow. The gape, tongue, and lining of the mouth are pale pink to pink.

Iris

The iris is dark sepia to red brown at all ages but can appear blackish in the field.

Tarsi and Toes

The legs are long with prominent transverse scutellations on the front and back of the tarsi. The color of the legs of the adult is usually a bright, silvery white, but occasionally they are yellowish. In hatchlings and juveniles, the legs are initially a dusky gray but assume adult coloration by the time they fledge. The toes lack webbing, and the middle toe has a pectinated claw.

Linear Measurements

Total Length

19–21 cm (17 Priest, C. D. (1934). The Birds of Southern Rhodesia. Volume 2. William Clowes and Sons, London and Beccles, UK. Close , 18 Peacock, F. (2016). Chamberlain’s Waders. The Definitive Guide to Southern Africa’s Shorebirds. Pavo Publishing, Cape Town, South Africa. Close ).

Wing Length

C. t. temminckii

• Adult female, mean 125.2 mm (range 121.0–129.0, n = 10; museum study skins) (13 Clancey, P. A. (1984). Geographical variation and post-breeding dispersal in Temminck’s Courser of the Afrotropics. Gerfaut 74(4):361–374. Close ), 120.0 mm (n = 1; museum study skin) (G. D. Engelbrecht, unpublished data of the Ditsong Museum of Natural History).
• Adult male, mean 129.0 mm (range 124.0–134.5, n = 10; museum study skins) (13 Clancey, P. A. (1984). Geographical variation and post-breeding dispersal in Temminck’s Courser of the Afrotropics. Gerfaut 74(4):361–374. Close ), 127.0 mm (n = 1; museum study skin) (G. D. Engelbrecht, unpublished data of the Ditsong Museum of Natural History).

C. t. ruvanensis

• Adult female, mean 124.4 mm (range 119.0–132.0, n = 10; museum study skins) (13 Clancey, P. A. (1984). Geographical variation and post-breeding dispersal in Temminck’s Courser of the Afrotropics. Gerfaut 74(4):361–374. Close ), 123.2 mm ± 1.78 SD (range 121.0–126.0, n = 10; museum study skins) (G. D. Engelbrecht, unpublished data of the Ditsong Museum of Natural History).
• Adult male, mean 125.3 mm (range 120.0–128.0, n = 10; museum study skins) (13 Clancey, P. A. (1984). Geographical variation and post-breeding dispersal in Temminck’s Courser of the Afrotropics. Gerfaut 74(4):361–374. Close ), 121.3 mm ± 3.59 SD (range 117.0–128.0, n = 10; museum study skins) (G. D. Engelbrecht, unpublished data of the Ditsong Museum of Natural History).
• Unsexed, 120.0 mm (n = 1) (17 Priest, C. D. (1934). The Birds of Southern Rhodesia. Volume 2. William Clowes and Sons, London and Beccles, UK. Close ), 122.0 mm and 127.0 mm (n = 2; museum study skins) (19 Irwin, M. P. S., and C. W. Benson (1966). Notes on the birds of Zambia: Part II. Arnoldia (Rhodesia) 2(37):1–21. Close ), 126.0 mm (n = 1) (20 Hanmer, D. B. (1998). Miscellaneous measurements and moult of non-passerine birds from Mozambique and Malawi: 4. Gamebirds, crane, korhaan, coursers and near-passerines. Honeyguide 44(2):64–68. Close ), mean 123.0 mm (n = 1) (G. D. Engelbrecht, unpublished data).

C. t. aridus

• Adult female, mean 124.4 mm (range 120.0–128.0, n = 7; museum study skins) (13 Clancey, P. A. (1984). Geographical variation and post-breeding dispersal in Temminck’s Courser of the Afrotropics. Gerfaut 74(4):361–374. Close , 21 Clancey, P. A. (1989). The status of (Cursorius temminckii) damarensis Reichenow, 1901. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club 109:51–53. Close ), 116.0 mm (n = 1; museum study skin) (G. D. Engelbrecht, unpublished data of the Ditsong Museum of Natural History).
• Adult male, 120.0 mm and 125.0 mm (n = 2) (14 Hoesch, W., and G. Niethammer (1940). Die Vögelwelt Deutsch-Sudwestafrikas namentlich des Damara- und Namalandes. Journal für Ornithologie 88 (Supplement). 404 pp. Close ), 123 mm (n = 1) 22 Macdonald, J. D., and B. P. Hall (1957). Ornithological results of the Bernard Carp/Transvaal Museum Expedition to the Kaokoveld, 1951. Annals of the Transvaal Museum 23:1–39. Close ), mean 126.6 mm (range 126.0–132.0, n = 6; museum study skins) (13 Clancey, P. A. (1984). Geographical variation and post-breeding dispersal in Temminck’s Courser of the Afrotropics. Gerfaut 74(4):361–374. Close , 21 Clancey, P. A. (1989). The status of (Cursorius temminckii) damarensis Reichenow, 1901. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club 109:51–53. Close ), 123.0 mm (n = 1; museum study skin) (G. D. Engelbrecht, unpublished data of the Ditsong Museum of Natural History).
• Unsexed, mean 124.9 mm ± 3.8 SD (range 120.0–131.0, n = 8) (6 Bryson, U., and D. M. Paijmans (2024). Temminck´s Courser Cursorius temminckii, Swainson 1822: plumage, moult, biometrics, and determination of age. Afrotropical Bird Biology 4:1–20. Close ).

Subspecies unspecified

• Unsexed, 59 g (n = 1) (23 Reichenow, A. (1900-1901). Die Vögel Afrikas. Erster Band. Neumann, Neudamm, Germany. Close ).

Mixed subspecies

• Unsexed, mean 123.1 mm ± 3.7 SD (range [lower quartile–upper quartile] 117.0–130.0, n = 38) (24 Rose, S., R. L. Thomson, H. D. Oschadleus, and A. T. K. Lee (2019). Summarising biometrics from the SAFRING database for southern African birds. Ostrich 91(2):169–173. Close )

Tail Length

C. t. temminckii

• Adult female, 46.0 mm (n = 1; museum study skin) (G. D. Engelbrecht, unpublished data of the Ditsong Museum of Natural History).
• Adult male, 46.0 mm (n = 1; museum study skin) (G. D. Engelbrecht, unpublished data of the Ditsong Museum of Natural History).

C. t. ruvanensis

• Adult female, 45.0 mm ± 2.00 SD (range 41.0–48.0, n = 10; museum study skins) (G. D. Engelbrecht, unpublished data of the Ditsong Museum of Natural History).
• Adult male, 45.2 mm ± 2.53 SD (range 41.0–48.0, n = 10; museum study skins) (G. D. Engelbrecht, unpublished data of the Ditsong Museum of Natural History).
• Unsexed, 43.0 mm (n = 1) (17 Priest, C. D. (1934). The Birds of Southern Rhodesia. Volume 2. William Clowes and Sons, London and Beccles, UK. Close ).

C. t. aridus

• Adult female, 45.0 mm (n = 1; museum study skin) (G. D. Engelbrecht, unpublished data of the Ditsong Museum of Natural History).
• Adult male, 47.0 mm (n = 1) (22 Macdonald, J. D., and B. P. Hall (1957). Ornithological results of the Bernard Carp/Transvaal Museum Expedition to the Kaokoveld, 1951. Annals of the Transvaal Museum 23:1–39. Close ), 45.0 mm (n = 1; museum study skin) (G. D. Engelbrecht, unpublished data of the Ditsong Museum of Natural History).
• Unsexed, mean 49.4 mm ± 2.1 SD (range 46.0–52.0, n = 8) (6 Bryson, U., and D. M. Paijmans (2024). Temminck´s Courser Cursorius temminckii, Swainson 1822: plumage, moult, biometrics, and determination of age. Afrotropical Bird Biology 4:1–20. Close ).

Mixed subspecies

• Unsexed, mean 48.0 mm ± 2.4 SD (range [lower quartile–upper quartile] 45.0–52.0, n = 11) (24 Rose, S., R. L. Thomson, H. D. Oschadleus, and A. T. K. Lee (2019). Summarising biometrics from the SAFRING database for southern African birds. Ostrich 91(2):169–173. Close ).

Bill Length

To the junction with the skull unless otherwise stated.

C. t. temminckii

• Adult female, 19.1 mm (n = 1; museum study skin) (G. D. Engelbrecht, unpublished data of the Ditsong Museum of Natural History).
• Adult male, 21.2 mm (n = 1; museum study skin) (G. D. Engelbrecht, unpublished data of the Ditsong Museum of Natural History).

C. t. ruvanensis

• Adult female, 17.9 mm ± 0.70 SD (range 16.8–18.8, n = 10; bill tip to featherline; museum study skins) (G. D. Engelbrecht, unpublished data of the Ditsong Museum of Natural History).
• Adult male, 18.0 mm ± 0.74 SD (range 16.8–19.1, n = 10; bill tip to featherline; museum study skins) (G. D. Engelbrecht, unpublished data of the Ditsong Museum of Natural History).
• Unsexed, 20.0 mm (n = 1) (17 Priest, C. D. (1934). The Birds of Southern Rhodesia. Volume 2. William Clowes and Sons, London and Beccles, UK. Close ), 25.0 mm (n = 1) (G. D. Engelbrecht, unpublished data).

C. t. aridus

• Adult female, 18.0 mm (n = 1; bill tip to featherline; museum study skin) (G. D. Engelbrecht, unpublished data of the Ditsong Museum of Natural History).
• Adult male, 24.0 mm (n = 1) (22 Macdonald, J. D., and B. P. Hall (1957). Ornithological results of the Bernard Carp/Transvaal Museum Expedition to the Kaokoveld, 1951. Annals of the Transvaal Museum 23:1–39. Close ), 19.2 mm (n = 1; bill tip to featherline; museum study skin) (G. D. Engelbrecht, unpublished data of the Ditsong Museum of Natural History).
• Unsexed, mean 25.6 mm ± 1.8 SD (range 23.3–28.6, n = 8) (6 Bryson, U., and D. M. Paijmans (2024). Temminck´s Courser Cursorius temminckii, Swainson 1822: plumage, moult, biometrics, and determination of age. Afrotropical Bird Biology 4:1–20. Close ).

Mixed

• Unsexed, mean 21.3 mm ± 2.2 SD (range [lower quartile–upper quartile] 19.0–24.0, n = 10) (24 Rose, S., R. L. Thomson, H. D. Oschadleus, and A. T. K. Lee (2019). Summarising biometrics from the SAFRING database for southern African birds. Ostrich 91(2):169–173. Close ).

Bill tip to Nostril

From the distal edge of the nostril to the tip of the bill.

C. t. temminckii

• Adult female, 13.4 mm (n = 1; museum study skin) (G. D. Engelbrecht, unpublished data of the Ditsong Museum of Natural History).
• Adult male, 13.1 mm (n = 1; museum study skin) (G. D. Engelbrecht, unpublished data of the Ditsong Museum of Natural History).

C. t. ruvanensis

• Adult female, 12.5 mm ± 0.69 SD (range 11.3–13.8, n = 10; museum study skins) (G. D. Engelbrecht, unpublished data of the Ditsong Museum of Natural History).
• Adult male, 12.0 mm ± 0.69 SD (range 11.0–13.4, n = 10; museum study skins) (G. D. Engelbrecht, unpublished data of the Ditsong Museum of Natural History).

C. t. aridus

• Adult female, 13.0 mm (n = 1; museum study skin) (G. D. Engelbrecht, unpublished data of the Ditsong Museum of Natural History).
• Adult female, 12.7 mm (n = 1; museum study skin) (G. D. Engelbrecht, unpublished data of the Ditsong Museum of Natural History).

Bill Depth

C. t. temminckii

• Information needed.

C. t. ruvanensis

• Unsexed, 5.9 mm (n = 1) (G. D. Engelbrecht, unpublished data).

C. t. aridus

• Information needed.

Tarsus Length

C. t. temminckii

• Adult female, 41.9 mm (n = 1; museum study skin) (G. D. Engelbrecht, unpublished data of the Ditsong Museum of Natural History).
• Adult male, 42.0 mm (n = 1; museum study skin) (G. D. Engelbrecht, unpublished data of the Ditsong Museum of Natural History).

C. t. ruvanensis

• Adult female, 43.4 mm ± 1.46 SD (range 40.9–45.0, n = 10; museum study skins) (G. D. Engelbrecht, unpublished data of the Ditsong Museum of Natural History).
• Adult male, 42.8 mm ± 1.40 SD (range 40.0–44.3, n = 10; museum study skins) (G. D. Engelbrecht, unpublished data of the Ditsong Museum of Natural History).
• Unsexed, 41.0 mm (n = 1) (G. D. Engelbrecht, unpublished data).

C. t. aridus

• Adult female, 44.8 mm (n = 1; museum study skin) (G. D. Engelbrecht, unpublished data of the Ditsong Museum of Natural History).
• Adult male, 43.0 mm (n = 1; museum study skin) (G. D. Engelbrecht, unpublished data of the Ditsong Museum of Natural History).
• Unsexed, mean 42.1 mm ± 2.1 SD (range 38.9–43.8, n = 8) (6 Bryson, U., and D. M. Paijmans (2024). Temminck´s Courser Cursorius temminckii, Swainson 1822: plumage, moult, biometrics, and determination of age. Afrotropical Bird Biology 4:1–20. Close ).

Head Length

C. t. temminckii

• Information needed.

C. t. ruvanensis

• Unsexed, 48.4 mm (n = 1) (G. D. Engelbrecht, unpublished data).

C. t. aridus

• Unsexed, mean 47.3 mm ± 1.2 SD (range 45.5–49.3, n = 8) (6 Bryson, U., and D. M. Paijmans (2024). Temminck´s Courser Cursorius temminckii, Swainson 1822: plumage, moult, biometrics, and determination of age. Afrotropical Bird Biology 4:1–20. Close ).

Mixed

• Unsexed, mean 46.0 mm ± 0.4 SD (range [lower quartile–upper quartile] 46.0–47.0, n = 5) (24 Rose, S., R. L. Thomson, H. D. Oschadleus, and A. T. K. Lee (2019). Summarising biometrics from the SAFRING database for southern African birds. Ostrich 91(2):169–173. Close ),

Mass

C. t. temminckii

• Information needed.

C. t. ruvanensis

• Adult female, 70.0 g and 71.0 g (n = 2) (25 Britton, P. L. (1970). Some non-passerine bird weights from East Africa. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club 90(1):142–144. Close ).
• Adult male, 64.0 g and 65.0 g (n = 2) (25 Britton, P. L. (1970). Some non-passerine bird weights from East Africa. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club 90(1):142–144. Close ).
• Unsexed, 66.5 g (n = 1) (26 Maclean, G. L., and E. K. Urban (1986). Temminck’s Courser Cursorius temminckii Swainson. In The Birds of Africa. Volume 2 (E. K. Urban, C. H. Fry, and S. Keith, Editors). Academic Press, London, UK. pp. 212–213. Close ), 73.2 mm (n = 1) (27 Herholdt, J. J. (1988). Bird weights from the Orange Free State (Part 1: nonpasserines). Safring News 17:3–14. Close ), 75.0 mm (n = 1) (20 Hanmer, D. B. (1998). Miscellaneous measurements and moult of non-passerine birds from Mozambique and Malawi: 4. Gamebirds, crane, korhaan, coursers and near-passerines. Honeyguide 44(2):64–68. Close ), 58.3 g (n = 1) (G. D. Engelbrecht, unpublished data).

C. t. aridus

• Adult female, mean 68.0 g (range 67.0–69.0, n = 2) (28 Ginn, P. J. (1971). Kalahari expeditions list of material collected 1966-1970. The Wagtail Special Number:1–56. Close ), mean 74.3 g (68.0–80.5, n = 4) (26 Maclean, G. L., and E. K. Urban (1986). Temminck’s Courser Cursorius temminckii Swainson. In The Birds of Africa. Volume 2 (E. K. Urban, C. H. Fry, and S. Keith, Editors). Academic Press, London, UK. pp. 212–213. Close ).
• Adult male, mean 67.0 g (range 62.0–72.0 g, n = 2) (28 Ginn, P. J. (1971). Kalahari expeditions list of material collected 1966-1970. The Wagtail Special Number:1–56. Close ), mean 68.6 g (no range given, n = 5) (6 Bryson, U., and D. M. Paijmans (2024). Temminck´s Courser Cursorius temminckii, Swainson 1822: plumage, moult, biometrics, and determination of age. Afrotropical Bird Biology 4:1–20. Close ).
• Unsexed, mean 65.1 g ± 3.6 SD (range 58.2–70.7, n = 8) (6 Bryson, U., and D. M. Paijmans (2024). Temminck´s Courser Cursorius temminckii, Swainson 1822: plumage, moult, biometrics, and determination of age. Afrotropical Bird Biology 4:1–20. Close ).

Mixed

• Unsexed, mean 69.9 g ± 6.9 SD (range [lower quartile–upper quartile] 57.0–82.0, n = 62) (24 Rose, S., R. L. Thomson, H. D. Oschadleus, and A. T. K. Lee (2019). Summarising biometrics from the SAFRING database for southern African birds. Ostrich 91(2):169–173. Close ),

Wing Area, Wing Aspect Ratio, Wing Loading

Information needed.

Wing Span

• Unsexed, range 38.0–42.0 cm (no mean or sample size given) (18 Peacock, F. (2016). Chamberlain’s Waders. The Definitive Guide to Southern Africa’s Shorebirds. Pavo Publishing, Cape Town, South Africa. Close ).