FaunaHub

Pratincole (Glareola spp.)

BirdShorebirdOld World

Pratincole (Glareola), a slender short-legged bird with long pointed wings and a short bill.

Small pratincole (Glareola lactea).

Image: Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Overview

Pratincoles (genus Glareola) are among the most unusual of the world's waders. Built with long, pointed wings, a deeply forked tail, short legs, and a short bill with a wide gape, they look and behave more like oversized swallows than like the wading shorebirds they are related to — catching insects gracefully on the wing.

Pratincoles belong to the family Glareolidae, the same family as the coursers. It is a striking pairing: the elegant, aerial insect-hawking pratincoles on one hand, and the fleet-footed, ground-running coursers on the other.

Note: several pratincole species exist (such as the collared, oriental, and small pratincoles); details here describe the group broadly.

Habitat & Range

Pratincoles favour open, flat, sparsely vegetated ground, often near water — dried mud flats, floodplains, lake and river margins, steppe, and bare or burnt fields. Many species are migratory, moving with the seasons and the rains, and they often gather in flocks on open ground or over water.

Diet

Pratincoles are insectivores that catch most of their food in flight, hawking flying insects such as beetles, grasshoppers, flies, and termites — frequently in the air over water or open ground, and often around dusk. They also pick prey from the ground while running, in plover-like fashion.

Behavior

Pratincoles are sociable and often nest in colonies on bare ground, laying well-camouflaged eggs in a simple scrape. They are strong, agile fliers, twisting and gliding after insects on their long wings, and they can also run swiftly. Parents may use distraction displays to lure predators away from eggs or chicks. Many populations are highly migratory, sometimes travelling long distances to follow insect-rich conditions.

Human Interaction & Conservation

Pratincoles are appreciated by birdwatchers for their graceful, swallow-like flight. As ground-nesting birds of open wetlands and plains, they can be sensitive to the drainage of wetlands, changing land use, and disturbance; some species are common while others are localised. Consult the IUCN Red List for the status of a particular pratincole.

More photos of the pratincole

A collared pratincole showing its forked tail and long wings.

Collared pratincole (Glareola pratincola); a juvenile bird.

Image: Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Frequently Asked Questions — Pratincole

Is a pratincole a shorebird or a swallow?
It is a shorebird (wader) that lives like a swallow. Pratincoles belong to the wader group, but with their long pointed wings, forked tails, and wide-gaped bills they catch insects in flight much as swallows do — earning them the nickname 'swallow-plovers'.
What are pratincoles related to?
They belong to the family Glareolidae, which they share with the coursers. That makes the aerial, insect-hawking pratincoles and the ground-running coursers close relatives within one striking family.
What do pratincoles eat?
Mainly flying insects — beetles, grasshoppers, flies, and termites — caught on the wing, often over water or open ground and frequently around dusk. They also snatch prey from the ground while running.
Where do pratincoles nest?
They nest on open, bare ground, often in colonies, laying camouflaged eggs in a simple scrape. Many species are migratory and move with the seasons and rains to find insect-rich feeding areas.

Sources and further reading

Authoritative wildlife references used for general educational context. Conservation status should always be verified against current IUCN Red List data. External links open in a new tab.