What does pratincole mean?

What is a 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.

When are pratincoles most active?

They are most active at dawn and dusk, resting in the warmest part of the day. Like the coursers, the pratincoles are found in warmer parts of the Old World, from southern Europe and Africa east through Asia to Australia.

Is the Australian pratincole in the genus Glareola?

The Australian pratincole, the only species not in the genus Glareola, is more terrestrial than the other pratincoles, and may be intermediate between this group and the coursers. The name “pratincole” comes from the term pratincola coined by German naturalist Wilhelm Heinrich Kramer from the Latin words prātum meadow and incola resident.

How many eggs do pratincoles lay?

Like the coursers, the pratincoles are found in warmer parts of the Old World, from southern Europe and Africa east through Asia to Australia. Species breeding in temperate regions are long-distance migrants . Their two to four eggs are laid on the ground in a bare scrape.

Where can I see a collared pratincole?

The Collared Pratincole or Common Pratincole (Glareola pratincola) is a species of wading bird found in open country in the warmer parts of Europe, southwest Asia and Africa. It is a migratory species and winters in tropical Africa, and is rare north of its breeding range. It can often be seen near the water in the evening.

What is a pratincole wader?

Pratincoles are unusual among waders in that they typically hunt their insect prey on the wing like swallows, although they can also feed on the ground. The Collared Pratincole is a bird of open country, and is often seen near water in the evening, hawking for insects. It is found in the warmer parts of Europe, southwest Asia and Africa. More

What type of bird is a pratincole?

pratincole (prăt´ənkōl´), common name for a large-winged shore bird including seven species in the subfamily Glareolinae of the family Glareolidae. Swift and graceful flyers, their sharply pointed, decurved bills are broad-based and open wide as adaptations for feeding on the wing.

What is the difference between pratincoles and coursers?

Pratincoles have four toes, short bills and legs, long, pointed wings, and forked tails. Coursers have three toes, longer bills, short, broad wings and tails, and long legs.

What kind of bird is a pratincole?

Pratincole, Arnhem Land grouse, Australian courser, roadrunner (not to be confused with the genus of North American cuckoos Geococcyx ), nankeen plover, swallow-plover. The Australian pratincole is a medium-sized slender shorebird with long legs, long pointed wings and a short decurved bill.

What is the genus and species name for a collared pratincola?

The genus Glareola was introduced by the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson in 1760 with the collared pratincole ( Glareola pratincola) as the type species. The genus name is a diminutive of Latin glarea, “gravel”, referring to a typical nesting habitat.

What does the Australian pratincole look like?

What does it look like? The Australian Pratincole is a long-legged, slim-bodied bird with an upright stance and elegant posture when perched. It is sandy-olive with very long, narrow, pointed black wings, and has a deep chestnut brown and black patch on its flanks.

Are there any pratincole in Ireland?

Three pratincole species, Collared, Black-winged and Oriental, have been recorded in Britain, but the last has not yet been seen in Ireland. They all share a remarkable swallow-like appearance, with forked tails, pointed wings and agile aerial foraging, sometimes also recalling a distant small tern.

What kind of bird is a swallow plover?

pratincole, also called Swallow Plover, any of six or seven Old World shorebird species constituting the subfamily Glareolinae of the family Glareolidae, which also includes the coursers. Pratincoles are about 20 cm (8 inches) long and are brown with a white rump; the tail is forked, and the wings are long and pointed.

What is the difference between pratincole and storks?

Pratincole bird is also called as locust birds. They are mainly found in suburbs and rural areas and biologically called as enemy of locusts. It even consumes grasshoppers and very fast at hunt. People grow these birds in some areas to control the invasion of locusts. Storks are found in major parts of North America and parts of Australia.

What is the difference between Sparrow and Motacillidae?

Sparrows are small passerine birds. In general, sparrows tend to be small, plump, brown or grey birds with short tails and short powerful beaks. Sparrows are seed eaters, but they also consume small insects. Motacillidae is a family of small passerine birds with medium to long tails. They include the wagtails, longclaws, and pipits.

What is the scientific name for a collared peccary?

The scientific name for the Collared Peccary is Pecari tajacu. What is the lifespan of a Collared Peccary? Collared Peccaries can live for 10 years. How to say Collared Peccary in

Where can I find information about scientific names of birds?

Top of – scientific names – Page BirdCare.com.au is one of the world’s largest and most informative avian or bird web sites. Copyright BirdCare.com.au 2002 – 2008 inc.

Does the Australian pratincole borrow its habits from other species?

While it is foraging, the Australian Pratincole sometimes appears to borrow its habits from other species.

Are there any breeding birds in Ireland?

Ireland has a relatively low diversity of breeding birds due to its isolation. Several species such as the tawny owl, Eurasian nuthatch and willow tit which breed in Great Britain have not been recorded.

Where do the birds in Ireland eat?

Irish birds feed more in woodland areas and gardens, while the visiting birds, which are larger and paler, prefer to feed in large flocks in stubble fields.

What is the difference between a heron and a storks Bill?

Storks tend to have much larger bills compared to members of the heron family. Storks’ bills are also thicker and stouter and tend to curve up or down near the tip. Meanwhile, herons tend to have smaller, dagger-shaped bills that taper near the tip. Not surprisingly, the bill shapes of these birds are adapted to match their diet!

What do storks use to fly?

Storks often use soaring and gliding flight to conserve their energy while flying long distances. Nesting is also interesting, as they build large platform nests (2 metres wide and 3 metres deep) on the trees, or on rock ledges, and they use those for many years. That means storks are homebound birds.

Is there a Magic Bullet for Sparrow identification?

“There is no magic bullet for sparrow identification. You have to be ready to use everything in your bird identifi­cation toolkit, and you have to learn it sparrow by sparrow.” There are 43 species of New World sparrows commonly found in the United States and Canada (the family, Passerellidae, includes towhees, juncos, and the Lark Bunting).

Are collared peccaries related to pigs?

Collared peccary. Although somewhat related to the pigs and frequently referred to as one, this species and the other peccaries are no longer classified in the pig family, Suidae .

What kind of animal is a peccary?

A species of mammals belonging to the peccary family of even-toed ungulates. The collared peccary (Pecari tajacu) is a species of mammal in the family Tayassuidae found in North, Central, and South America.

Where do collared peccaries live?

Collared peccaries are a widespread animal which range from South-western United States through Central America and into South America. In South and Central America the collared peccary prefers to live in the tropical rainforests. Although, in North America, they can be found roaming the deserts,…

Where do you find pratincole in Australia?

The Australian Pratincole is mainly found in the north and eastern inland of Australia, as well as on Lord Howe Island, Christmas Island, and in New Guinea, Borneo and Sulawesi.