Glareola pratincola
Glareola pratincola, commonly known as the Collared Pratincole, is a graceful medium-sized bird, typically measuring 23-26 cm in length with a wingspan of 60-65 cm and weighing between 95-105 grams. Its distinctive appearance features a slender, swallow-like body, long pointed wings, and a deeply forked black tail edged with white. Upperparts are an unassuming olive-brown, contrasting sharply with a pristine white belly, but its most striking field mark is the rufous-buff throat patch bordere...
Found in open, dry, lowland habitats, including short grasslands, steppes, semi-deserts, fallow cultivated fields, and flat, barren areas usually near water bodies such as temporary pools, salt pans, and river deltas.
Feeds predominantly on insects, including locusts, grasshoppers, crickets, beetles, flies, and moths, captured primarily through aerial hawking and less frequently by gleaning from the ground.
Collared Pratincoles are largely diurnal but often exhibit crepuscular activity, actively foraging at dawn and dusk, and roost communally on the ground in loose flocks. They employ a unique foraging strategy, primarily hawking insects in swift, graceful aerial pursuits akin to swallows or terns, ...
The Collared Pratincole breeds across a vast Palearctic range, spanning southern Europe (e.g., Iberian Peninsula, France, Italy, the Balkans), North Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, and eastward to the Indian subcontinent. Specific breeding strongholds include Spain, Turkey, and various nat...
Least Concern
- Often nicknamed the "Swallow-Plover" due to its unique blend of aerial foraging and ground-nesting habits. - They can fly for extended periods, capturing insects on the wing with impressive agility, similar to swallows or terns. - When disturbed near the nest, parents will perform a "broken-win...