''Glareola'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...

s in the family

Glareolidae Glareolidae is a family of birds in the wader suborder Charadrii. It contains two distinct groups, the pratincoles and the coursers. The atypical Egyptian plover (''Pluvianus aegyptius''), traditionally placed in this family, is now known to be ...

. The

pratincole The pratincoles or greywaders are a group of birds which together with the coursers make up the family Glareolidae. They have short legs, very long pointed wings and long forked tails. Description Their most unusual feature for birds classed as ...

s are a group of birds consisting of the seven species of this genus and the

Australian pratincole The Australian pratincole (''Stiltia isabella'') is a species of bird in the family Glareolidae. It breeds in Australia's interior; it winters to northern and eastern parts of the continent, Indonesia and New Guinea. It is a medium-sized nomadic ...

, the only species of the genus ''

Stiltia The Australian pratincole (''Stiltia isabella'') is a species of bird in the family Glareolidae. It breeds in Australia's interior; it winters to northern and eastern parts of the continent, Indonesia and New Guinea. It is a medium-sized nomadic ...

''. The

''Glareola'' was introduced by the French zoologist

Mathurin Jacques Brisson Mathurin Jacques Brisson (; 30 April 1723 – 23 June 1806) was a French zoologist and natural philosopher. Brisson was born at Fontenay-le-Comte. The earlier part of his life was spent in the pursuit of natural history; his published works ...

in 1760 with the

collared pratincole The collared pratincole (''Glareola pratincola''), also known as the common pratincole or red-winged pratincole, is a wader in the pratincole family, Glareolidae. As with other pratincoles, it is native to the Old World. Taxonomy The collared pr ...

(''Glareola pratincola'') as the

type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specimen ...

. The genus name is a diminutive of

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

''glarea'', "gravel", referring to a typical nesting habitat.

Species list

The genus contains seven species: *

Collared pratincole The collared pratincole (''Glareola pratincola''), also known as the common pratincole or red-winged pratincole, is a wader in the pratincole family, Glareolidae. As with other pratincoles, it is native to the Old World. Taxonomy The collared pr ...

(''Glareola pratincola'') *

Oriental pratincole The oriental pratincole (''Glareola maldivarum''), also known as the grasshopper-bird or swallow-plover, is a wader in the pratincole family, Glareolidae. Etymology The genus name is a diminutive of Latin ''glarea'', "gravel", referring to a ty ...

(''Glareola maldivarum'') *

Black-winged pratincole The black-winged pratincole (''Glareola nordmanni'') is a wader in the pratincole bird family, Glareolidae. The genus name is a diminutive of Latin ''glarea'', "gravel", referring to a typical nesting habitat for pratincoles. The species nam ...

(''Glareola nordmanni'') *

Madagascar pratincole The Madagascar pratincole (''Glareola ocularis'') is a species of bird in the family Glareolidae. It is found in Comoros, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Somalia, Tanzania, possibly Mauritius, and possibly Réunion. Its natural habitats ...

(''Glareola ocularis'') *

Rock pratincole The rock pratincole (''Glareola nuchalis'') is a species of bird in the family Glareolidae. Distribution and habitat There are two subspecies of rock pratincole: *''G. n. liberiae'' (Schlegel, 1881), – ''Rufous-collared pratincole'' – fr ...

(''Glareola nuchalis'') *

Grey pratincole The grey pratincole (''Glareola cinerea'') is a species of bird, in the family Glareolidae. Habitat It is found on the continent of Africa, in the countries of Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, De ...

(''Glareola cinerea'') *

Small pratincole 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, Bur ...

(''Glareola lactea'')

References

Bird genera Taxa named by Mathurin Jacques Brisson {{Bird-stub