If you look closely at the picture, you can see the characteristics of the Chestnut-bellied sandgrouse: the soft-brown head, the yellow-green eye ring, the black belly-stripe, the brown belly, the black wing patches and wing tips, and not the least - the narrow, pointed and unusually long tail! This of course applies only to the male. The female looks quite different (see next picture). In flight, the two sexes are dark, almost black under the wings. The Chestnut-bellied sandgrouse often appears in pairs or even in small flocks in open, dry landscapes. It is specialized on seeds from legumes and extremely dependent on access to water. In dry areas, it can fly up to 80 km (50 mi) to get water. If they have chicks that are unfledged, they will soak the breast feathers so that the chicks will be able to suck water from their feathers when the parents return from the water hole.