Breeding

Pair Formation

Pairs appear to be already established when they arrive on the breeding grounds (122 Evans, M. I., and A. Balmford (1992). Birds in the Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda. Scopus 16:34–49. Close ). Study needed.

Nest Building

No nest is constructed, and eggs are laid on bare ground. Birds arrive within a few days after a burn, and egg-laying may start within 7–9 days after their arrival (115 Hockey, P. A. R., and C. Douie (1995). Waders of Southern Africa. Struik Winchester, Cape Town, South Africa. Close , 128 Engelbrecht, D., and R. Engelbrecht (2006). Temminck’s Courser. Heading for burn-out. Africa Birds and Birding 11(3):32–38. Close ).

First Brood

Breeding has been recorded in all months of the year, but Temminck's Courser (Cursorius temminckii) breeds mainly during the dry season when seasonal fires create its preferred breeding habitat. In arid regions, breeding may occur during or shortly after the wet season when invertebrate prey is abundant. For many countries, breeding records are scarce, often limited to a single month of the year, but sample sizes are too small to accurately infer breeding seasons. Therefore, only countries for which a sufficient number of breeding records are available are presented below.

West Africa

Senegal, all months except September and October. Mali, late March–June. Ghana, mainly January–March. Nigeria, February–July. Burkina Faso, February–March (136 Smith, V. W. (1966). Breeding records for the Plateau Province over 3,000 feet, 1957–1966. Bulletin of the Nigerian Ornithologists' Society 3(12):78–89. Close , 41 Lamarche, B. (1980). Liste commentée des oiseaux du Mali. 1ère partie: Non-passereaux. Malimbus 2(2):121–158. Close , 67 Ash, J. S., and J. Atkins (2009). Birds of Ethiopia and Eritrea: An Atlas of Distribution. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close , 137 Girard, O., B. Niagaté, J. Thal, and J. M. Boutin (2009). Les limicoles au Mali, en particulier dans le Delta interieur du Niger. Malimbus 31(1):1–19. Close , 47 Dowsett-Lemaire, F., and R. J. Dowsett (2014). The Birds of Ghana: An Atlas and Handbook. Tauraco Press, Liège, Belgium. Close , 50 Demey, R. (2021). Recent reports. Bulletin of the African Bird Club 28(2):248–269. Close ).

The Horn of Africa (including Sudan)

Sudan, March–July (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 ). Ethiopia, February–July, but mainly April–May (138 Maclean, G. L., G. M. Kirwan, and D. A. Christie (2020). Temminck's Courser (Cursorius temminckii), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. Close ). Somalia, June in the northwest (66 Demey, R. (2005). Recent reports. Bulletin of the African Bird Club 12(1):63–73. Close ).

East Africa

April to January, with a peak in June to July (139 Reynolds, J. F. (1968). Notes on birds observed in the vicinity of Tabora, Tanzania, with special reference to breeding data. Journal of the East African Natural History Society and National Museum 27:117–139. Close , 68 Britton, P. L., Editor (1980). Birds of East Africa. East African Natural History Society, Nairobi, Kenya. Close , 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 ). Uganda, March–April, and September, but breeding records are few (69 Carswell, M., D. Pomeroy, J. Reynolds, and H. Tushabe (2005). The Bird Atlas of Uganda. British Ornithologists' Club and British Ornithologists' Union, Oxford, UK. Close ).

Central Africa

Democratic Republic of the Congo, April–October (138 Maclean, G. L., G. M. Kirwan, and D. A. Christie (2020). Temminck's Courser (Cursorius temminckii), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. Close ). Malawi, June–November, with a peak in August and September (~50% of breeding records) (77 Dowsett-Lemaire, F., and R. J. Dowsett (2006). The Birds of Malawi: An Atlas and Handbook. Tauraco Press and Aves, Liège, Belgium. Close ). Zambia, May–November, with a peak between August and October (~55% of breeding records) (78 Dowsett, R. J., D. R. Aspinwall, and F. Dowsett-Lemaire (2008). The Birds of Zambia. Tauraco Press & Aves, Liège, Belgium. Close ). Although there are no breeding records from Angola, collected specimens were in breeding condition from August–December (79 Dean, W. R. J. (2000). The Birds of Angola: An Annotated Check-list. British Ornithologists’ Union Check-list 18. British Ornithologists’ Union, Tring, UK. Close ).

Southern Africa

In Namibia, breeding is likely a response to sporadic rainfall in arid areas, resulting in erratic breeding that is mainly concentrated during the wet season (85 Maclean, G. L., and M. Herremans (1997). Temminck's Courser Cursorius temminckii. In The Atlas of Southern African Birds. Volume 1: Non-passerines (J. A. Harrison, D. G. Allan, L. G. Underhill, M. Herremans, A. J. Tree, V. Parker, and C. J. Brown, Editors), BirdLife South Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa. pp. 446–448. Close , 140 Brown, C. J., P. A. Bridgeford, S. G. Braine, M. Paxton, and W. Versfeld (2015). Breeding data on the birds of Namibia: laying months, colony and clutch sizes and egg measurements. Ornithological Observations 6:92–196. Close ). Breeding in Zimbabwe is May–December, but mainly August–October (~52% of breeding records) (86 Irwin, M. P. S. (1981). The Birds of Zimbabwe. Quest Publishing, Harare, Zimbabwe. Close ). In Botswana, the laying months span from June to December, with a peak in October (32% of records). Additionally, 63% of the records (n = 19) are from the late dry season and early wet season (141 Skinner, N. J. (1997). The breeding seasons of birds in Botswana III: non-passerine families (Ostrich to Skimmer). Babbler (Botswana) 32:10–23. Close ). Breeding in South Africa peaks between August and October, but laying has been recorded from May–January (85 Maclean, G. L., and M. Herremans (1997). Temminck's Courser Cursorius temminckii. In The Atlas of Southern African Birds. Volume 1: Non-passerines (J. A. Harrison, D. G. Allan, L. G. Underhill, M. Herremans, A. J. Tree, V. Parker, and C. J. Brown, Editors), BirdLife South Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa. pp. 446–448. Close ).

Second/Later Broods

There is evidence of replacement broods if a nesting attempt fails, but repeat broods, at least at the same site, have not been recorded (2 Engelbrecht, D. (2025). Notes on the behaviour and breeding biology of Temminck’s Courser Cursorius temminckii. The Lark 58:79–86. Close ). Study needed.

Selection Process

An important criterion for nesting is excellent all-round visibility from the nest (142 Steyn, P. (1965). Temminck’s Courser. African Wildlife 19(1):29–32. Close ). As such, most nests are found in recently burned areas of grassland or open savanna; however, pairs are also known to nest in unburnt areas with a similar habitat structure, characterized by extensive bare ground and short grass (143 Ginn, P. J. (1991). Temminck’s Courser breeding on unburnt land. Honeyguide 37(1):15–16. Close ). These include fallow fields, heavily grazed pastures, sports fields, and airfields. Pairs nest solitarily, and nests are well-spaced, typically >100 m apart.

Site Characteristics

Temminck's Courser uses disruptive camouflage to protect the eggs, laying them between animal droppings or stones. The characteristically dark eggs blend in excellently with the charred habitat where the species typically nests, and the eggs also match the color of dried ungulate droppings. Unusual nest sites include one placed on the center ridge of a dirt road in the Kruger National Park, South Africa, and another was on the grassy verge of a busy national road (Nest Record Card Scheme, unpublished data). A nest found on top of a granite inselberg in central Zimbabwe, without any supporting details or evidence (115 Hockey, P. A. R., and C. Douie (1995). Waders of Southern Africa. Struik Winchester, Cape Town, South Africa. Close ), is in such an atypical habitat and an unusual nest site for the species that it is included here with some hesitation.

Construction Process

No nest is constructed, and eggs are laid on bare ground. During the incubation period, the parents toss solid particles, grass blades, small twigs, and bits of dung toward the eggs, resulting in a faint rim appearing toward the end of the incubation period.

Also, shuffling movements of incubating parents may result in the formation of a shallow depression over time (115 Hockey, P. A. R., and C. Douie (1995). Waders of Southern Africa. Struik Winchester, Cape Town, South Africa. Close ).

Structure and Composition

The eggs are laid on bare ground.

Dimensions

No nest is constructed, but the diameter of a faint rim that had formed towards the end of the incubation period at one nest was ~80 mm (2 Engelbrecht, D. (2025). Notes on the behaviour and breeding biology of Temminck’s Courser Cursorius temminckii. The Lark 58:79–86. Close ).

Microclimate

Study needed.

Shape

The eggs are spheroid. The mean egg elongation index is 1.2 ± 0.1 SD (range 1.1–1.3, n = 14 eggs) (2 Engelbrecht, D. (2025). Notes on the behaviour and breeding biology of Temminck’s Courser Cursorius temminckii. The Lark 58:79–86. Close ).

Size

• 28 mm x 23 mm (n = 1) (23 Reichenow, A. (1900-1901). Die Vögel Afrikas. Erster Band. Neumann, Neudamm, Germany. Close ).
• 28.0 mm x 24.0 mm (n = 2) (144 Krienke, W. (1931). Notes on some birds of Beatrice District, Southern Rhodesia. Ostrich 2(2):42-47. Close ).
• 27.4 mm ± 0.5 SD x 22.9 mm ± 0.7 SD (range 27.0–28.0 mm x 22.0–23.5 mm, n = 5 eggs) (17 Priest, C. D. (1934). The Birds of Southern Rhodesia. Volume 2. William Clowes and Sons, London and Beccles, UK. Close ).
• 27.7 mm x 22.8 mm (range 25.0–32.3 mm x 21.5–24.8 mm, n = 52 eggs) (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 ).
• 27.8 mm x 22.8 mm (range 25.0–30.6 mm x 21.3–24.8 mm, n = 57 eggs) (145 Tarboton, W. (2011). Roberts Nests and Eggs of Southern African Birds. Trustees of the John Voelcker Bird Book Fund, Cape Town, South Africa. Close ).
• 26.4 mm ± 1.2 SD x 22.5 mm ± 0.4 SD (range 24.2–28.5 mm x 21.9–23.0 mm, n = 14 eggs) (2 Engelbrecht, D. (2025). Notes on the behaviour and breeding biology of Temminck’s Courser Cursorius temminckii. The Lark 58:79–86. Close ).
• 27.1 mm ± 1.1 SD x 22.5 mm ± 0.8 SD (range 25.0–30.0 mm x 21.0–24.7 mm, n = 61 eggs) (Nest Record Card Scheme, unpublished data).

Mass

The fresh egg mass, i.e., the mass of eggs weighed within 3 days of laying, was 7.0 g and 6.7 g (n = 2 eggs) (2 Engelbrecht, D. (2025). Notes on the behaviour and breeding biology of Temminck’s Courser Cursorius temminckii. The Lark 58:79–86. Close ). The estimated egg mass is 7.9 g ( 115 Hockey, P. A. R., and C. Douie (1995). Waders of Southern Africa. Struik Winchester, Cape Town, South Africa. Close ) and 7.0 g ± 0.4 SD (n = 12 eggs) (2 Engelbrecht, D. (2025). Notes on the behaviour and breeding biology of Temminck’s Courser Cursorius temminckii. The Lark 58:79–86. Close ).

Eggshell Thickness

Information needed.

Color and Surface Texture

The eggs have a pale creamy yellow to white base, almost entirely obscured by blackish-brown and pale gray speckles and scribbles (144 Krienke, W. (1931). Notes on some birds of Beatrice District, Southern Rhodesia. Ostrich 2(2):42-47. Close , 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 ). There is a record of an aberrant, almost white egg in a clutch of two eggs ( Nest Record Card Scheme, unpublished data).

Clutch Size

Usually two eggs, occasionally one, and rarely three (146 Anonymous (1985). Breeding records. Babbler (Botswana) 9:33–38. Close , 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 , 77 Dowsett-Lemaire, F., and R. J. Dowsett (2006). The Birds of Malawi: An Atlas and Handbook. Tauraco Press and Aves, Liège, Belgium. Close , 140 Brown, C. J., P. A. Bridgeford, S. G. Braine, M. Paxton, and W. Versfeld (2015). Breeding data on the birds of Namibia: laying months, colony and clutch sizes and egg measurements. Ornithological Observations 6:92–196. Close ). The mean clutch size in Zambia is 1.9 eggs ± 0.3 SD (range 1–2 eggs, n = 74 clutches) (78 Dowsett, R. J., D. R. Aspinwall, and F. Dowsett-Lemaire (2008). The Birds of Zambia. Tauraco Press & Aves, Liège, Belgium. Close ), and in South Africa, it is 2.0 (n = 30 clutches) (Nest Record Card Scheme, unpublished data).

Egg Laying

Eggs are laid at daily intervals (2 Engelbrecht, D. (2025). Notes on the behaviour and breeding biology of Temminck’s Courser Cursorius temminckii. The Lark 58:79–86. Close ).

Onset of Broodiness and Incubation in Relation to Laying

Incubation commences almost invariably upon clutch completion; however, at one nest, the chicks hatched 24 hours apart, suggesting that incubation started after the second egg was laid (2 Engelbrecht, D. (2025). Notes on the behaviour and breeding biology of Temminck’s Courser Cursorius temminckii. The Lark 58:79–86. Close ).

Incubation Patches

Information needed.

Incubation Period

The incubation period is given as 19–23 days (128 Engelbrecht, D., and R. Engelbrecht (2006). Temminck’s Courser. Heading for burn-out. Africa Birds and Birding 11(3):32–38. Close , 145 Tarboton, W. (2011). Roberts Nests and Eggs of Southern African Birds. Trustees of the John Voelcker Bird Book Fund, Cape Town, South Africa. Close ), at least 21 days (2 Engelbrecht, D. (2025). Notes on the behaviour and breeding biology of Temminck’s Courser Cursorius temminckii. The Lark 58:79–86. Close ), and 26 days (Nest Record Card Scheme, unpublished data). The latter is probably more accurate, as the observer found the nest during laying and found two "newly-hatched chicks" 26 days later (Nest Record Card Scheme, unpublished data).

Parental Behavior

Both sexes incubate, but one of the sexes, presumably the female, performs most of the incubation (2 Engelbrecht, D. (2025). Notes on the behaviour and breeding biology of Temminck’s Courser Cursorius temminckii. The Lark 58:79–86. Close ). Incubation shift lengths usually last 75–120 min (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 , 2 Engelbrecht, D. (2025). Notes on the behaviour and breeding biology of Temminck’s Courser Cursorius temminckii. The Lark 58:79–86. Close ). Longer stints of 6–8 hours have been recorded, but such stints are briefly interrupted by 1‒3 min off-bouts during which the attending bird does not leave the nest area, but performs self-maintenance, tosses objects towards the nest, and forages near the nest (2 Engelbrecht, D. (2025). Notes on the behaviour and breeding biology of Temminck’s Courser Cursorius temminckii. The Lark 58:79–86. Close ). Temminck's Courser's habit of nesting in recently burnt areas without any cover means the parents are incubating completely exposed to the elements. Nest attendance is, therefore, near-constant in the heat of the day, when the incubating bird may squat over the eggs for extended periods to shade them rather than performing contact incubation (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 , 128 Engelbrecht, D., and R. Engelbrecht (2006). Temminck’s Courser. Heading for burn-out. Africa Birds and Birding 11(3):32–38. Close ). A heat-stressed incubating adult raises the feathers on the crown, back, and mantle, pants, drops the shoulders, closes the eyes to slits, and holds the wings slightly away from the body (128 Engelbrecht, D., and R. Engelbrecht (2006). Temminck’s Courser. Heading for burn-out. Africa Birds and Birding 11(3):32–38. Close ). During cold spells, the incubating bird sits in a hunched position , its neck pulled in, the feathers flat, legs tucked in under the body, and the body feathers flush with the ground. Nest attendance also increases in the days leading up to hatching, perhaps reflecting a greater sensitivity of the embryos to temperature extremes, or it may help muffle the vocalizations of the embryos before hatching (128 Engelbrecht, D., and R. Engelbrecht (2006). Temminck’s Courser. Heading for burn-out. Africa Birds and Birding 11(3):32–38. Close ).

Incubating birds are extremely wary and will flee from the nest at the slightest sign of danger, sometimes when the threat is more than 80 m away, relying on the well-camouflaged eggs to escape detection (147 Troscianko, J., J. Wilson-Aggarwal, M. Stevens, and C. N. Spottiswoode (2016). Camouflage predicts survival in ground-nesting birds. Scientific Reports 6:19966. Close , G. D. Engelbrecht, unpublished observation). The mean distance at which an incubating bird first flees its nest is 54.6 m ± 12.7 SD (range 33.0–77.0 m, n = 8) (147 Troscianko, J., J. Wilson-Aggarwal, M. Stevens, and C. N. Spottiswoode (2016). Camouflage predicts survival in ground-nesting birds. Scientific Reports 6:19966. Close ) and 55.4 m ± 13.4 SD (n = 8) (148 Wilson-Aggarwal, J., J. Troscianko, M. Stevens, and C. N. Spottiswoode (2016). Escape distance in ground-nesting birds differs with level of individual camouflage. American Naturalist 188:231–239. Close ). Alternatively, it would sit tight and sink low on the nest with its head held low, only to slip off the nest and run away, crouched with the neck low and outstretched when the threat is getting to within ~30 m. Once the adult is ~30 m from the nest, it stands erect to reassess the danger and either runs further, takes flight, or slowly starts coursing its way back to the nest. Temminck's Courser has never been observed taking flight from the nest.

Agitated parents exhibit several displacement behaviors, including bobbing, the plover's bow , or, when the chicks are in real danger, a broken-wing and false brooding display (see Social And Interspecific Behavior). It may also charge at an intruder by running towards it with its neck outstretched, head held low, and its wings open and held forward to make it appear bigger than it is (121 Skead, C. J. (1995). Life-history Notes on East Cape Bird Species (1940–1990). Volume 1. Algoa Regional Services Council, Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Close , 128 Engelbrecht, D., and R. Engelbrecht (2006). Temminck’s Courser. Heading for burn-out. Africa Birds and Birding 11(3):32–38. Close ). It would often wander in a zig-zag pattern toward the nest, sometimes walking straight past it a few times before suddenly settling.

Hardiness of Eggs Against Temperature Stress: Effect of Egg Neglect

After the first egg is laid, the parents remain near it and may squat over it to shield it from direct sun during the heat of the day, but contact incubation does not start (2 Engelbrecht, D. (2025). Notes on the behaviour and breeding biology of Temminck’s Courser Cursorius temminckii. The Lark 58:79–86. Close ).

Preliminary Events and Vocalizations

Chicks can be heard vocalizing two days before hatching (128 Engelbrecht, D., and R. Engelbrecht (2006). Temminck’s Courser. Heading for burn-out. Africa Birds and Birding 11(3):32–38. Close ).

Shell Breaking and Emergence

Information needed.

Parental Assistance and Disposal of Eggshells

Parents have attempted to prematurely remove the eggshell when the chick has not yet hatched completely, but it is unclear whether the parents actually assisted in this process. Eggshells are removed immediately after the chick has hatched and either disposed of at least 40 m from the nest or it is eaten (2 Engelbrecht, D. (2025). Notes on the behaviour and breeding biology of Temminck’s Courser Cursorius temminckii. The Lark 58:79–86. Close ).

Condition at Hatching

The newly hatched chick is weak but able to lift its head almost immediately, starts shuffling within an hour, squats after about 4 hours, and stands or walks short distances within 8–9 hours (2 Engelbrecht, D. (2025). Notes on the behaviour and breeding biology of Temminck’s Courser Cursorius temminckii. The Lark 58:79–86. Close ). When the chick hatches, the downy feathers are wet and flush with the body, giving the chick an all-black appearance. The feathers dry within 1–2 hours, but it takes ~5‒6 hours before the downy feathers have their fluffy appearance (2 Engelbrecht, D. (2025). Notes on the behaviour and breeding biology of Temminck’s Courser Cursorius temminckii. The Lark 58:79–86. Close ).

In one instance, a pair of chicks had moved ~60 m from their nest site 2 days after hatching. Although young chicks of a few days old are usually in the same general area, they are never found together, thus reducing the likelihood of a complete brood failure should a predator discover them.

The chick is mottled black, buff, golden brown, white, and rufous above; the chin and throat are whitish, there is a distinct off-white collar, and the breast is dull rufous-buff (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 , 2 Engelbrecht, D. (2025). Notes on the behaviour and breeding biology of Temminck’s Courser Cursorius temminckii. The Lark 58:79–86. Close ). There is a fringe of wispy, white, downy plumes , which may help to disrupt the outline of the chick (2 Engelbrecht, D. (2025). Notes on the behaviour and breeding biology of Temminck’s Courser Cursorius temminckii. The Lark 58:79–86. Close ). Such a fringe is also found in chicks of the Three-banded Courser (Rhinoptilus cinctus) (149 Maclean, G. L., and A. C. Kemp (1973). Neonatal plumage patterns of Three-banded and Temminck’s Coursers and their bearing on courser genera. Ostrich 44(1): 80–81. Close ). The bill is blackish, the mouth lining is pale pink, the egg-tooth is white, and the legs are slate gray or greenish gray. There is a tiny (~1 mm), slightly curved claw on the allula, a structure also found in Burchell's Courser (Cursorius rufus) (121 Skead, C. J. (1995). Life-history Notes on East Cape Bird Species (1940–1990). Volume 1. Algoa Regional Services Council, Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Close , G. D. Engelbrecht, unpublished observation).

Growth and Development

The newly hatched chick (day 0) weighs 4.4–5.5 g (n = 5). On day 4, the first primaries start erupting through the skin, and by day 5, the primaries, their coverts, and the secondaries are all in pin. The first feathers on the head are in brush by day 12, and the first primaries are in brush on days 13–14. The black belly patch is visible at 14 d. By age 20 days, the primaries are about 40% in brush, and by day 23, they are about 75% in brush. At this stage, the chick weighs ~40.0–43.0 g and can flutter-fly a few meters at a time. Chicks use this, in combination with running, to escape a threat, but will still resort to motionless crouching as a last resort. In the days before fledging, the young perform a lot of wing-stretching and wing flapping on the spot to strengthen the wings. By 26 days, the chicks can fly strongly (2 Engelbrecht, D. (2025). Notes on the behaviour and breeding biology of Temminck’s Courser Cursorius temminckii. The Lark 58:79–86. Close ).

Soon after the chicks start moving, they usually maintain some distance between them, except when they are occasionally brooded together in the first 1–2 days after hatching (107 Engelbrecht, G. D. (2001). First record of the fledging period of Temminck's Courser, Cursorius temminckii. Ostrich 72(1/2):117–118. Close ). This reduces the likelihood of losing the entire brood should a predator locate them. The downy chicks are incredibly well-camouflaged in the burnt environment they inhabit. Even older chicks are exceptionally difficult to locate if they crouch motionless in response to a threat.

The chicks respond to the adults' alarm calls by running to the nearest cover, such as a grass tuft, if time permits, and crouch adjacent to it to take advantage of any shade the vegetation offers, as young chicks show signs of heat stress within minutes (107 Engelbrecht, G. D. (2001). First record of the fledging period of Temminck's Courser, Cursorius temminckii. Ostrich 72(1/2):117–118. Close ). If there is no time to reach cover, the chicks crouch on the spot with their head and neck held low, and their eyes closed to slits. They remain motionless in this position for a long time after the threat has passed (124 Farkas, T. (1962). Contribution to the bird fauna of Barberspan. Ostrich Supplement 4:1–39. Close , 121 Skead, C. J. (1995). Life-history Notes on East Cape Bird Species (1940–1990). Volume 1. Algoa Regional Services Council, Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Close , 107 Engelbrecht, G. D. (2001). First record of the fledging period of Temminck's Courser, Cursorius temminckii. Ostrich 72(1/2):117–118. Close ). After ~14 days, the chicks' first response to a threat is to run away, but they will resort to crouching if the danger gets too close (107 Engelbrecht, G. D. (2001). First record of the fledging period of Temminck's Courser, Cursorius temminckii. Ostrich 72(1/2):117–118. Close ). The effectiveness of this anti-predation strategy is demonstrated by a chick that first attempted to outrun a common slender mongoose (Herpestes sanguineus) approaching it but resorted to crouching motionless when it got too close (~15 m). Despite searching for the chick, the mongoose was unable to locate it and eventually lost interest (107 Engelbrecht, G. D. (2001). First record of the fledging period of Temminck's Courser, Cursorius temminckii. Ostrich 72(1/2):117–118. Close ).

At 4 days of age, the chicks peck for food but do not appear to consume any food they have obtained themselves yet (2 Engelbrecht, D. (2025). Notes on the behaviour and breeding biology of Temminck’s Courser Cursorius temminckii. The Lark 58:79–86. Close ). Self-feeding has been observed from day 8 onwards (107 Engelbrecht, G. D. (2001). First record of the fledging period of Temminck's Courser, Cursorius temminckii. Ostrich 72(1/2):117–118. Close ).

Sex Ratios and Sex Allocation

Study needed.

Brooding

Both sexes brood the chicks. Brooding may occur intermittently for up to 8 days after hatching.

Feeding

Both sexes feed the chicks a variety of small invertebrates, including termites and their alates (order Blattodea), spiders (order Araneae), beetles (order Coleoptera), and soft-bodied worms such as lepidopteran larvae (order Lepidoptera) (107 Engelbrecht, G. D. (2001). First record of the fledging period of Temminck's Courser, Cursorius temminckii. Ostrich 72(1/2):117–118. Close ). Chicks are given their first food within minutes of hatching (2 Engelbrecht, D. (2025). Notes on the behaviour and breeding biology of Temminck’s Courser Cursorius temminckii. The Lark 58:79–86. Close ). The parents encourage the chicks to move by sometimes holding the food just out of their reach (2 Engelbrecht, D. (2025). Notes on the behaviour and breeding biology of Temminck’s Courser Cursorius temminckii. The Lark 58:79–86. Close ).

Nest Sanitation

Chicks leave the nest within hours of hatching, and nest sanitation is, therefore, not necessary.

Carrying of Eggs or Young

Once the chicks start moving around on hatching day, brooding parents sometimes struggle to contain both. It is not unusual to see a parent grabbing a chick by its bill or neck and pulling it towards its sibling (G. D. Engelbrecht, unpublished observations).

There is no evidence for cooperative breeding in Temminck's Courser.

Coursers are not known hosts of any brood parasitic species, and it is considered highly unlikely.

Departure from the Nest

Chicks leave the nest within hours after hatching.

Growth

The chicks can fly short distances from 21–25 days, but fly strongly by 28 days (107 Engelbrecht, G. D. (2001). First record of the fledging period of Temminck's Courser, Cursorius temminckii. Ostrich 72(1/2):117–118. Close , 128 Engelbrecht, D., and R. Engelbrecht (2006). Temminck’s Courser. Heading for burn-out. Africa Birds and Birding 11(3):32–38. Close ).

Association with Parents or Other Young

The young and their parents forage together in a loose-knit group after they have fledged.

Ability to Get Around, Feed, and Care for Self

By the time the young can fly, they can feed themselves and fly with their parents (128 Engelbrecht, D., and R. Engelbrecht (2006). Temminck’s Courser. Heading for burn-out. Africa Birds and Birding 11(3):32–38. Close ).

Behavior After Independence

Immature birds remain with their parents for several months.