Pterocles exustus floweri (Nicoll, 1921:128)
Egyptian chestnut-bellied sandgrouse, Fayum sandgrouse
Taxonomy & Nomenclature
Synonym/s: Pterocles senegalensis floweri Nicholl, 1921 (original combination)
Conservation Status
Last record: 4 March 1979
Possibly since rediscovered
IUCN RedList status: "probably extinct"
Last recorded with certainty in 1979, coincidentally also the last time Pterocles exustus as a species was recorded in Egypt. Recent sightings of P. exustus in Egypt suggests either a persistent population there which went unrecorded for more than 30 years, or that P. exustus has recolonized Egypt after being regionally extirpated. The former is much more likely on account of the physical description of the birds tentatively described as having been "rediscovered" match the colouration of the presumably extinct P. e. floweri, a subspecies endemic to Egypt so far as we know (Khil et al. 2012). However until the identity of these birds is confirmed the taxon shall remain in the possibly extinct species database.
Distribution
Egypt (central)
Biology & Ecology
Hypodigm
Media
References
Original scientific description:
Nicoll, Michael J. (1921). Pterocles senegalensis floweri, subsp. nov. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club 41: 128.
Other references:
BirdLife International. (2012). Pterocles exustus. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.1. (http://www.iucnredlist.org). Downloaded on 20 September 2012.
de Jauna, E. (1997). Family Pteroclidae (sandgrouse), pp. 44-59. In: del Hoyo, J.; Elliott, A.; Sargatal, J. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World, vol. 4: Sandgrouse to Cuckoos. Barcelona, Spain: Lynx Edicions.
Gouraud, Christophe. (2014). Extinct and endangered species and subspecies of birds in the Baillon Collection, La Châtre, France. Journal of the National Museum (Prague), Natural History Series 183(3): 29-38.
Gouraud, Christophe, Frahnert, Sylke, Gamauf, Anita and van der Mije, Steven. (2016). Review of the type series of Pterocles exustus Temminck, 1825 (Aves, Pterocliformes, Pteroclidae) and designation of a lectotype. ZooKeys 580: 145-152.
Hume, Julian Pender and Walters, Michael. (2012). Extinct Birds. London: T & AD Poyser.
Leander Khil, Michael Boetzel, Jonas Geburzi, Manfred Trobitz, Michael Werner, Christoph Weinrich and Thorsten Zegula. (2012). Rediscovery of Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse in Egypt in March 2012. Dutch Birding 34: 213-218.
Madge, S. and McGowan, P. (2002). Pheasants, partridges and grouse: including buttonquails, sandgrouse and allies. London: Christopher Helm.
http://extinctanimals.proboards.com/thread/16030/pterocles-exustus-floweri-fayum-sandgrouse