Glareola maldivarum
The Oriental Pratincole (Glareola maldivarum) is a distinctive, medium-sized wader often described as tern-like due to its elegant, aerial flight and long, pointed wings. Measuring approximately 23-26 cm in length with a wingspan of 58-64 cm and weighing 80-100 grams, its plumage features olive-brown upperparts, a pure white belly, and a striking black patch on the lower belly. Key identification marks include chestnut underwing coverts visible in flight, a deeply forked tail with a white bas...
Primarily found in open, short-grass habitats, including dry plains, cultivated fields, fallow land, and sparse vegetation near marshes, rivers, and temporary pools, typically at low elevations.
Feeds predominantly on a wide variety of insects, such as grasshoppers, locusts, beetles, crickets, flies, and moths, captured primarily in agile aerial pursuit, but also gleans from the ground.
Oriental Pratincoles exhibit both diurnal and crepuscular activity, often being most active at dawn and dusk when insect prey is abundant, and roost communally on open ground. Their primary foraging strategy involves swift, agile aerial pursuit of flying insects, reminiscent of swallows or terns,...
The Oriental Pratincole has an extensive breeding range across East and Southeast Asia, stretching from northeastern India and Bangladesh eastward through Myanmar, Thailand, and Indochina, northward into central and eastern China, Korea, and Japan, and extending south to the Philippines. During t...
Least Concern
- The name "Pratincole" is derived from the Latin "pratum" (meadow) and "incola" (dweller), aptly describing its preferred habitat. - Despite being classified as a shorebird, its foraging strategy of catching insects in flight makes it more akin to a swallow or tern, earning it the nickname "swal...