Chestnut-bellied sandgrouse are one of the handful of gamebirds introduced to Hawaiʻi in the 20th century for recreational hunting purposes.
The Hawaiʻi Division of Fish and Game released sandgrouse on Kauaʻi, Molokaʻi, and Hawaiʻi Island, but the birds only established breeding populations on Hawaiʻi Island, where they inhabit the dry landscapes of Waikōloa and shrublands in Kohala to this day.
In their native deserts, sandgrouse make use of scarce water resources by soaking their belly feathers in water to carry back to their chicks. Male sandgrouse's belly feathers can hold up to 20ml of water.
AMTJ_Chestnut-bellied sandgrouse Spectrogram Video.mp4
Audio credit: Andrew Spencer, Xeno Canto [XC277093]
