That even with the far ranging imperials, the lack of available 
water can limit distribution is indicated by Dement'ev (15) who states 
that in the extensive, waterless tracts within the Kara-Kum and the 
Kizil-Kum deserts, these birds do not occur. 
The question how water is supplied to the young at the nest has 
been raised but never adequately answered. Mead-Waldo (1922) believes 
that the parent birds soak their breast feathers when they drink and thus 
carry water to the young. Meinertzhagen (26) indicates that young 
common Indian sandgrouse, reared in captivity, were supplied by the re- 
gurgitation of water from the crop of the parents. Dement'ev agrees 
with this and quotes Nazarov (1886) as indicating that as much as a 
"“cupful" of water has been found in the crops of imperials shot about 
waterholes,. 
General Habits 
Migrations, Movements and Mobility 
Imperial sandgrouse are inclined to wander less locally than do 
many other sandgrouse. In most regions they are semimigratory, but 
some areas hold birds throughout the year. Arevalo and Baca (1), 
referring to Spanish birds, considered them to be generally sedentary, 
and Whitaker (45) describes them as "distinctly a resident species" 
in North Africa, I found imperials present, even in winter, near Konya 
and Palatali, in the arid Anatolian plains of southern Turkey, but in 
the absence of banded individuals it was not possible to determine 
whether these were birds raised in the vicinity or were migrants from 
further north replacing southward moving local stock. Even in the 
northern part of their range in Asia Minor it was not unusual to find 
an occasional bird throughout the winter. 
Late fall is the time of southward migration in central Turkey 
with the birds returning in March. Dement'ev (15) states that imperials 
start gathering in larger flocks in August and September and begin 
their southward movement about a month later. Christensen (14) dated 
the arrival of imperials in northwestern India as November; their 
departure as occurring in late February or early March. Correlating 
these movements with temperature he indicates, "The arrival and 
departure dates of the imperial fit well into the expressed temperature 
pattern. From the monthly mean temperatures it can be seen that the 
birds arrive at the beginning of the winter period when the average 
monthly temperatures have dropped to approximately 70°F. The birds 
remain through the months of November, December and January and in 
late February and early March, as the mean monthly temperatures start 
to exceed the 70°F. mark, the birds leave. There would seem to be 
little doubt that the timing of the arrival and departure of the Imperial 
Sand Grouse into north-western India is influenced considerably by 
temperature." 
32 
