Little Pratincole
Encyclopedia
The Small Pratincole, Little Pratincole, or Small Indian Pratincole (Glareola lactea), is a small wader
in the pratincole
family, Glareolidae.
The Small Pratincole is a resident breeder in India
, Western Pakistan
and southeast Asia
. It breeds from December to March on gravel or sand banks in rivers, laying 2-4 eggs in a ground scrape. Breeding areas include small areas in northern Karnataka (along the Hemavathi river) and northern Kerala near Kannur.
This species is only 16.5-18.5 cm in length, with a 15–16 cm wingspan. Because of its small size, the Little Pratincoles can be briefly confused in flight with swift
s or swallows.
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 feathers. The underwings are mainly black. The tail is white with a black terminal triangle. The belly is white.
The most unusual feature of the pratincoles is that although classed as wader
s 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.
Image:Small Pratincole I2 IMG 1516.jpg| At Purbasthali
in Bardhaman
District of West Bengal
, India
.
Image:Small Pratincole I IMG 1514.jpg| At Purbasthali
in Bardhaman
District of West Bengal
, India
.
Image:Small Pratincole (Glareola lactea) at Jayanti, Duars, West Bengal W IMG 5284.jpg| at Jayanti
in Buxa Tiger Reserve
in Jalpaiguri
district of West Bengal
, India
.
Image:Small Pratincole (Glareola lactea) at Jayanti, Duars, West Bengal W IMG 5282.jpg| at Jayanti
in Buxa Tiger Reserve
in Jalpaiguri
district of West Bengal
, India
.
Wader
Waders, called shorebirds in North America , are members of the order Charadriiformes, excluding the more marine web-footed seabird groups. The latter are the skuas , gulls , terns , skimmers , and auks...
in the pratincole
Pratincole
The Pratincoles or Greywaders are a group of birds which together with the coursers and Egyptian Plover make up the family Glareolidae. They have short legs, very long pointed wings and long forked tails....
family, Glareolidae.
The Small Pratincole is a resident breeder in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Western Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
and southeast Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
. It breeds from December to March on gravel or sand banks in rivers, laying 2-4 eggs in a ground scrape. Breeding areas include small areas in northern Karnataka (along the Hemavathi river) and northern Kerala near Kannur.
Swift
The swifts are a family, Apodidae, of highly aerial birds. They are superficially similar to swallows, but are actually not closely related to passerine species at all; swifts are in the separate order Apodiformes, which they share with hummingbirds...
s or swallows.
This bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
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 feathers. The underwings are mainly black. The tail is white with a black terminal triangle. The belly is white.
The most unusual feature of the pratincoles is that although classed as wader
Wader
Waders, called shorebirds in North America , are members of the order Charadriiformes, excluding the more marine web-footed seabird groups. The latter are the skuas , gulls , terns , skimmers , and auks...
s they typically hunt their insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
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.
Image:Small Pratincole I2 IMG 1516.jpg| At Purbasthali
Purbasthali
Purbasthali is a village with a police station in Kalna subdivision of Bardhaman district. It is located 120 km north from Kolkata. Also known as Chupi Char, it lies on the banks of a large oxbow lake created by the Ganges river and is only a few km from the old and holy town of Nabadwip. The...
in Bardhaman
Bardhaman
'Bardhaman or Burdwan , is a city of West Bengal state in eastern India. It is the headquarters of Bardhaman District....
District of West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
Image:Small Pratincole I IMG 1514.jpg| At Purbasthali
Purbasthali
Purbasthali is a village with a police station in Kalna subdivision of Bardhaman district. It is located 120 km north from Kolkata. Also known as Chupi Char, it lies on the banks of a large oxbow lake created by the Ganges river and is only a few km from the old and holy town of Nabadwip. The...
in Bardhaman
Bardhaman
'Bardhaman or Burdwan , is a city of West Bengal state in eastern India. It is the headquarters of Bardhaman District....
District of West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
Image:Small Pratincole (Glareola lactea) at Jayanti, Duars, West Bengal W IMG 5284.jpg| at Jayanti
Jayanti
Joyonti is a small forest village within Buxa Tiger Reserve in Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal, India. It is located along the Jayanti River, forming a natural border with the Bhutan hills. It is popular with hikers for its beautiful views of the surrounding landscape and wild fountains...
in Buxa Tiger Reserve
Buxa Tiger Reserve
The Buxa National Park is a national park located in West Bengal, India, in the Buxa hills of the southern hilly area of Bhutan. Located inside the national park is the 760 km² Buxa Tiger Reserve. Animals found in the park include, the tiger, civet and red jungle fowl.-Location:Buxa Tiger...
in Jalpaiguri
Jalpaiguri
Jalpaiguri is a city in the state of West Bengal, India. It is the headquarters of Jalpaiguri district, and the divisional headquarters of the North Bengal region.-History:...
district of West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
Image:Small Pratincole (Glareola lactea) at Jayanti, Duars, West Bengal W IMG 5282.jpg| at Jayanti
Jayanti
Joyonti is a small forest village within Buxa Tiger Reserve in Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal, India. It is located along the Jayanti River, forming a natural border with the Bhutan hills. It is popular with hikers for its beautiful views of the surrounding landscape and wild fountains...
in Buxa Tiger Reserve
Buxa Tiger Reserve
The Buxa National Park is a national park located in West Bengal, India, in the Buxa hills of the southern hilly area of Bhutan. Located inside the national park is the 760 km² Buxa Tiger Reserve. Animals found in the park include, the tiger, civet and red jungle fowl.-Location:Buxa Tiger...
in Jalpaiguri
Jalpaiguri
Jalpaiguri is a city in the state of West Bengal, India. It is the headquarters of Jalpaiguri district, and the divisional headquarters of the North Bengal region.-History:...
district of West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.