Table 1. Range of mean maximum and mean minimum temperatures i 
common sandgrouse habitat in India and West Pakistan (a) 
a ES a ee 
India West Pakistan 
Central India Thar Desert Sind Baluchistan 
Sousen*”? Mean Mean Mean Mean Mean Mean Mean Mean 
Max. Min. Max. Min. Max. Min. Max. Min. 
EI A Sa aa a a Ye Be 
Winter 73-78 43-46 76-81 49-53 76-81 51-54 54-58 29-33 
Spring 89-107 55-77 90-105 61-79 92-107 64-78 74-80 46-54 
Summer 92-105 78-83 92-103 77-82 96-104 79-82 92-98 62-74 
Fall 85-94 48-75 87-95 55-75 89-98 59-76 76-82 40-52 
ES eS peppers 
(a) Temperatures in degrees F. 
(b) Winter, December-February; Spring, March-May; Summer, June-August; 
Fall, September-November. 
In Baluchistan common sandgrouse nesting areas are usually above 
4,000 feet, with winter and summer temperatures colder than in the lower 
elevations of the Thar Desert. The main breeding season in Baluchistan 
is during the spring months. 
Over the range of the common Indian sandgrouse the air temperatures 
are high in the summer, with extremes reaching 120°F., and mild in the 
winter. Minimum temperatures seldom reach the freezing point. There is 
considerable variation in the diurnal temperatures, though this is not 
quite as marked as in some of the deserts in the southwestern United States 
Table 2 depicts temperature and precipitation records for Jodhpur and 
Agra, India. These two stations represent areas where large populations 
are found (Jodhpur) and where scattered populations occur (Agra). The 
Jodhpur precipitation reports are somewhat higher than occur in the in- 
terior of the Thar Desert where excellent sandgrouse populations are 
also found. Climatic data for Overton, Nev., and Pohakuloa, Hawaii, 
are included to present an idea of climatic conditions in the release 
areas of the United States. Pohakuloa represents the nearest weather 
station to the Hawaiian release sites. These conditions are not neces- 
sarily representative of the climate at other potential release sites 
in the southwestern deserts of the United States. An evaluation of the 
effects of climate on the common sandgrouse, released in the United 
States, is presented on page 26. 
Il 
