Podoces pleskei (Persian: زاغ بور, [Zaqboor]) is a species of bird in the family Corvidae. It is endemic to Iran. This bird lives in the desert and arid regions of Iran and can not be seen in the border areas of eastern Afghanistan and the western borders of Pakistan. Podoces pleskei builds its nest on the ground among desert bushes and uses fleece, plant fibers, and flowers to build its nest.
The color of the wing of this bird is pinkish brown. Its beak and eyes, the tail, and under the throat are black. This bird belongs to the Corvidae family and is in the order of sparrows. But unlike its peers, it has little interest in flying and runs mostly on the ground. Even when threatened, he prefers running to flying. Their flights are not long, and they usually fly at altitudes below 10 meters. Its running speed is about 20 kilometers per hour. According to shepherds, the Podoces pleskei attracts good luck.
One of the features of this bird is its melodious sound. Also, they have their territory. When a pair of these birds are seen in a place, one can be sure that no other pairs can be seen within a radius of 500 meters.
Iranian Podoces pleskei live mainly in the provinces of North Khorasan, Semnan, Kerman, and Sistan and Baluchestan. To see them you have to travel to the desert plains of these areas. The best season to visit them is early summer and autumn, and sometimes these birds come to the side of the road to get food from travelers.
One of the environmental features of this bird is collecting seeds of different plants in summer and hiding them in different parts of the plain underground. Podoces pleskei uses these foods in winter. But like other birds, it forgets where the seeds are hidden. These seeds that spread in the environment later grow like plants.