Habitat
Open short-sward grasslands1, dry savanna, fallow fields, overgrazed or burnt grasslands and pastures, bare or sparsely vegetated sandy or gravelly deserts, stony areas dotted with small shrubs and saltpans.
Southern Africa, mainly in drier regions, from south-western Angola through most of Namibia and Kalahari Basin of Botswana to western Cape, Karoo and high plateau of South Africa.
Population
Estimated population is unknown (2010).
Status LC
Habitat degradation due to poor grazing practices, agricultural intensification, disturbance from domestic livestock, are the main threats.
For more information see BirdLife International Species Factsheet.
Food
Predominantly insects including harvester termites, larval Lepidoptera, beetles, weevils, ants. Also occasionally seeds.
Burchell's Courser (Cursorius rufus) [XC599120]
by Alan Collett from Emthanjeni Local Municipality, Bo-Karoo, Northern Cape, South Africa (call, sheep bleating.)
Burchell's Courser (Cursorius rufus) [XC597244]
by id from Emthanjeni Local Municipality, Bo-Karoo, Northern Cape, South Africa (flight call)
Subspecies
Forms superspecies with Cream-coloured Courser (Cursorius cursor), Temminck's Courser (Cursorius temminckii) and Indian Courser (Cursorius coromandelicus), though last two taxa may represent a separate superspecies. Has been regarded as conspecific with Cream-coloured Courser (Cursorius cursor). Eastern African subspecies somalensis and littoralis of Cream-coloured Courser (Cursorius cursor) may belong in present species.
Proposed subspecies theresae not generally recognized.
BirdLife International Species Factsheet