Collared pratincole

Collared pratincole
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Glareolidae
Genus: Glareola
Species: G. pratincola
Binomial name
Glareola pratincola
Linnaeus, 1766

The collared pratincole or common pratincole (Glareola pratincola) is a wader in the pratincole family, Glareolidae.

Description

This pratincole is 24–28 cm (9.4–11.0 in) long with a 60–70 cm (24–28 in) wingspan. It has short legs, long pointed wings, a long forked tail, and a short bill, which is an adaptation to aerial feeding. The back and head are brown, and the wings are brown with darker flight feathers. The belly is white. The underwings are chestnut, but look dark below.

Very good views are needed to distinguish this species from other pratincoles, such as the black-winged pratincole and the oriental pratincole, which may occur in its range. The latter species also has a chestnut underwing, but is shorter-tailed.

Subspecies

The collared pratincole is divided into two subspecies:[2]

Behaviour

Breeding

Eggs, Collection Museum Wiesbaden, Germany

This species lays 2–4 eggs on the ground.

Feeding

Pratincoles are unusual among waders in that they typically hunt their insect prey on the wing like swallows, although they can also feed on the ground.

Distribution and habitat

Collared pratincole in flight

The collared pratincole is a bird of open country, and is often seen near water in the evening, hawking for insects. It is found in the warmer parts of Europe, southwest Asia and Africa. It is migratory, wintering in tropical Africa, and is rare north of the breeding range.

Status and conservation

The collared pratincole is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies.

References

  1. ↑ BirdLife International (2012). "Glareola pratincola". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
  2. ↑ "Coursers, noddies, gulls, terns, auks and sandgrouse". International Ornithological Congress. Retrieved 8 January 2015.

External links

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