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Many kinds of birds live in the desert. Many of them have sandy- brown feathers to blend with their surroundings. This helps them hide from their enemies. The cream-coloured courser lives in desert lands in Africa and part of Asia.

SURROUND

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Birds may have to travel long distances to find water in the desert. But this is impossible for little chicks. To solve this problem the male sandgrouse has special feathers on his tummy which act like sponges to hold water. He flies off to find and thorougly soaks its feathers.

THOROUGH

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He then returns home where his thirsty chicks gulp the water that he's brought.

THIRST

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The elf owl gor its name because of its appearance - this small bird is only 14 centimetres long. It makes its nest in a hole on a desert cactus.

APPEAR

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This prickly, uncomfortable home helps to keep the owl's eggs safe from enemies who do not want to struggle through the cactus spines. It lives in desert areas in the southwest of the USA.

COMFORTABLE