Cursorius cursor

The Cream-coloured Courser is classified as Vulnerable (VU) because of its small and declining population, which is currently estimated at less than 1,000 mature individuals. The rate of decline exceeds 30% over 3 generations (22 years). In the previous edition of the Red Book (2002), it was classified as Vulnerable (VU). The stability of its status reflects the continuing declining trend in its population size and range.

Habitats	Desert Plains, Inland Sand Dunes
Presence In Israel	Summer Breeder
Nesting In Israel	Breeder
Migration Types	Short Range / Partial
Zoography Zones	Irano-Turanian, Saharo-Arabian
Landscape Formations	Plains & Valleys, Wide Wadis, Sand Dunes
Vegetation Formations	Steppe, Herbaceous
Vegetation Densities	Low
Nest Locations	Ground
Diet Types	Invertebrate
Foraging Grounds	Ground
Body Sizes	Small (up to 500g)
Threat Factors	Plantations, Overgrazing, Habitat Fragmentation, Human Activity

The Cream-coloured Courser is a slim, long-legged Charadriform that inhabits arid habitats. When standing it is uniformly sandy colored, with a thin black eye-stripe, a bright white eyebrow and a bluish cap. The three stripes merge on the bird’s nape forming a downward-pointing triangle. Legs are silvery-white, its bill black, slender and a bit curved. Its posture is very erect, sometimes even bent backwards. When in flight its black underwing contrasts with its white belly. Wingbeats resemble those of doves, interspersed with short glides and longer glides as it lands.

The Cream-coloured Courser summers and breeds in the Negev, particularly in its western section (the Nitsana-Shivta area and the Western Negev sands), but also in the Eastern Negev and the Northern Arava, the Meishar and the Large Wadis. A few individuals also breed in the Jordan Valley, Eastern Galilee and Southern Golan Heights. A small portion of the breeding population overwinters in these areas as well. Until the 1980s, Cream-coloured Coursers also nested in the Judean Lowlands, the Jordan Valley, eastern Samaria and the Judean Desert plateau. It is now very rare in these areas and does not breed every year.

Cream-coloured Coursers inhabit broad wadi beds, and sandy, loess and rocky plains in the desert, and dry or sparsely vegetated fields in the steppe region.

No specific conservation measures have been taken for this species to date.

- Key breeding areas should be preserved, particularly in the Northern Negev.
Nature reserves and relevant protected areas (e.g. the Loess Park) should be managed specifically for ground-nesters, including dealing with invasive and eruptive species.
Grazing should be restricted during the breeding season in the main distribution areas of the species in the Northern Negev.
Afforestation in the Northern Negev loess plains should be stopped, and areas that were already planted should be rehabilitated.

• פז, ע. 1986. עופות. מתוך אלון, ע. (עורך), החי והצומח של ארץ ישראל. כרך 6. הוצאת משרד הביטחון, ישראל.
• פרלמן, י., אלתרמן, ש. וגרניט, ב. 2011. סקר עופות דוגרים בנחלים הפנימיים, אביב 2011. דו"ח מרכז הצפרות של החברה להגנת הטבע.
• פרלמן, י., שוחט, א. ולבינגר, ז. 2009. סקר אטלס ציפורים בערבה סיכום שנת 2009. דו"ח מרכז הצפרות של החברה להגנת הטבע.

• Perlman, Y., Shochat, E. and Labinger, Z. 2011. Developing Managment plan for important bird areas in southern Israel. second annual report, Nizzana region and Arava Valley.Israeli Ornithological center, SPNI.
• Shirihai, H., 1996. The Birds of Israel. Academic Press, London.
• Symes, A. 2013. Species generation lengths. Unpublished, BirdLife International.
• Species page at Birdlife International