The small pratincole, little pratincole, or small Indian pratincole (''Glareola lactea''), is a small
wader in the
pratincole family, Glareolidae.
Distribution
The small pratincole is a resident breeder in
India, Western
Pakistan, Bangladesh, Burma, Laos, Cambodia, Sri Lanka and Thailand. It breeds from December to March on gravel or sand banks near rivers and lakes, laying 2-4
eggs in a ground scrape. Breeding areas include small areas in northern Karnataka (manvi district raichur.(and along the
Hemavathi River
The Hemavati is a river in southern India near Karnataka and an important tributary of the Kaveri.
Origin and course
The source of the Hemavati River lies in the Western Ghats(Javali village) at an elevation of about . Located in Mudigere ta ...
) and northern Kerala near
Kannur.
This species is only 16.5-18.5 cm in length, with a 42–48 cm wingspan. Because of its small size, the small pratincole can be briefly confused in flight with
swifts or
swallows
The swallows, martins, and saw-wings, or Hirundinidae, are a family of passerine songbirds found around the world on all continents, including occasionally in Antarctica. Highly adapted to aerial feeding, they have a distinctive appearance. The ...
.
Description
This
bird has short legs, long pointed wings and a short tail. Its short
bill is an adaptation to aerial feeding. On the ground, it looks mainly pale grey (hence ''lactea'', milky). The crown of the head is brown.
The wings are grey above with black primaries and black and white bars at the rear edge of the inner
flight feather
Flight feathers (''Pennae volatus'') are the long, stiff, asymmetrically shaped, but symmetrically paired pennaceous feathers on the wings or tail of a bird; those on the wings are called remiges (), singular remex (), while those on the tail ...
s. The underwings are mainly black. The tail is white with a black terminal triangle. The belly is white.
Ecology
The most unusual feature of the pratincoles is that although classed as
waders they typically hunt their
insect prey on the wing like
swallows, although they can also feed on the ground.
The small pratincole is a species of open country, and is often seen near water in the evening, hawking for insects.
Small Pratincole - Nest.JPG, Small Pratincole - Nest
Small Pratincole - Chick.JPG, Small pratincole - chick
SL Bundala NP asv2020-01 img17.jpg, In the Bundala National Park, Sri Lanka
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q934460
small pratincole
Birds of South Asia
Birds of Southeast Asia
small pratincole
Taxa named by Coenraad Jacob Temminck