A moderately-sized, quail-like bird with a plump body, the double-banded sandgrouse has a small, almost pigeon-like head with a long pair of wings and tail.

It has a preference for short trampled grass beside roads and tracks, gravel patches, tussocky grassland and recently burned areas of scrub with green shoots starting to develop.

It is also seen in areas of scanty vegetation beneath scattered Terminalia sericea and Burkea africana trees and in scrubby mopane woodland.

[3] The diet consists largely of seeds including acacia, red pea (Requenia sphaerosperma), Tephrosia, Cyperus, blackjack (Bidens bidentata) and hairy thorn-apple (Datura innoxia).

[3] In Borakalalo Game Reserve, South Africa they were observed at dry times of year, in February and March and again between July and September.