Wildlifeof China
Collared Pratincole
Shorebirds
Photo: (c) Christoph Moning, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY
Glareola pratincola
Basic stats
Diet
Insects, hunted on the wing like swallows or taken on the ground
Habitat
Colonial; nest is a shallow scrape on open ground, often near water
Range
Winters in tropical Africa
Clutch size
2–4 eggs
Size
24–28cm
Wingspan
60–70cm
The collared pratincole, also known as the common or red-winged pratincole, is a wader 24–28cm long with a 60–70cm wingspan. It has short legs, long pointed wings, a long forked tail and a short bill, adaptations to aerial feeding. The back and head are brown and the wings brown with darker flight feathers (Wikipedia, general species account).
It is migratory, wintering in tropical Africa. Pratincoles are unusual among waders in typically hunting insects on the wing like swallows, though they also feed on the ground. Nesting is colonial, in a shallow scrape on open ground often near water, with a clutch of two to four cream eggs blotched with black or dark brown. The source does not describe its status in China (Wikipedia, general species account).
Quick answers
- What does the Collared Pratincole eat?
- Insects, hunted on the wing like swallows or taken on the ground
- What habitat does the Collared Pratincole live in?
- Colonial; nest is a shallow scrape on open ground, often near water
- Where is the Collared Pratincole found?
- Winters in tropical Africa
- How many eggs does the Collared Pratincole lay?
- 2–4 eggs
- How big is the Collared Pratincole?
- 24–28cm
- What is the wingspan of the Collared Pratincole?
- 60–70cm