Jun 11, 2017
May 27, 2017 - Turkestan Ground-jay or Pander's Ground-jay (Podoces panderi)
These corvids are found in parts of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan. Their omnivorous diet is probably made up of invertebrates, along with seeds, grains, and other plant foods. Both parents help build the nests from thin branches and twigs. These are cup-shaped when built in Atraphaxis spinosa (a plant in the knotweed family) bushes, which offer good cover for the nests, and dome-shaped in other shrubs. Females incubate the eggs. Though they are classified as a species of Least Concern, their population is likely declining due to destruction of their desert habitat.