Collared Pratincole
Glareola pratincola
Wetlands. Dark brown above; buff throat edged black; buff breast; white belly and rump; underwings show red-brown.
Coursers, Pratincoles
LC
Not Endemic
Description
Locally common summer resident. Differs from [Black-winged Pratincole] in rufous underwing coverts and white-tipped secondaries; see flight illustration. At rest, tail projects beyond wingtips and base of bill redder (less black) than Black-winged Pratincole. Flocks occur on floodplains, estuaries, lakesides and farmlands. Feeding flocks rise in great, wheeling columns and perform remarkable aerial manoeuvres. When settling, habitually stands briefly with wings raised.
Quick Facts
Size
25 cm - M
Names
A: Rooivlerksprinkaanvoël
Z: iWamba
Ss: Lehlakangwato La Lepheofubedu
G: Brachschwalbe
Bird Family
Pratincoles are migratory and nomadic birds with very short legs in relation to the length of their bodies. At rest or in their elegant, often erratic flight they resemble terns. They feed mostly in the air, in flocks. Their calls are of a ‘kip-kip-kip…' nature. The related coursers are more lapwing-like with erect stance, but unlike plovers lack a hind toe; they are terrestrial feeders. Sexes are alike in both groups.
Distribution
Gallery
Behaviour
Breeding
Habitat
Flocks occur on floodplains, estuaries, lakesides and farmlands.
