Collared Pratincole

Glareola pratincola (Linnaeus, 1766)

24–28 cmLength65 cmWingspan85 gWeight

It is a wader that catches insects in flight like a swallow, with a long, forked tail.

Busiest months: April · Most records: Spain, Israel, Botswana

Looks like Oriental Pratincole, Black-winged Pratincole

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

Wings long and pointed; legs short
Long, forked tail
Head and back brown; belly white
Underwing chestnut, appearing dark

Similar species

Oriental Pratincole

Oriental Pratincole also has a chestnut underwing, but a shorter tail.

Black-winged Pratincole

Distinguishing it from Black-winged Pratincole requires a very clear view at close range.

Where and when it's recorded

Collared Pratincole has been recorded at 683 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 95 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Marjal dels Moros – ÁreaSpain1,044 records
Amboseli NPKenya777 records
Brazo del Este PjeNat – ÁreaSpain734 records

More places

Dubai Pivot FieldsUnited Arab Emirates577 records
Eilat – KM20 Flamingo Pools 20Israel571 records
La Breña y Marismas de Barbate PNat – El CañilloSpain562 records
Lezíria Grande de Vila Franca de Xira – área geralPortugal549 records
L'Albufera PNat – El Raco de l'OllaSpain529 records
Hama'apil FishpondsIsrael492 records
Macaneta – Wetland, dune forests and coastMozambique479 records

Countries and regions with the most records

Spain Israel Botswana Portugal United Arab Emirates Kenya South Africa Tanzania

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

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.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Collared Pratincole?

The Collared Pratincole is about 24–28 cm long, with a wingspan of 65 cm and weighs around 85 g.

Where does the Collared Pratincole live?

Its breeding range: Africa, Palearctic: patchily southern temperate to tropical grassland near water, western, central Palearctic and Africa. It is most often recorded in Spain, Israel and Botswana.

When is the best time to see the Collared Pratincole?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in April (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the Collared Pratincole endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Collared Pratincole as Least Concern.

What does the Collared Pratincole eat?

Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.

What family is the Collared Pratincole in?

It belongs to the family Coursers, Pratincoles (Glareolidae), order Charadriiformes.

At a glance

Length: 24–28 cm
Wingspan: 65 cm
Weight: 85 g
Habitat: Grassland
Diet: Insects & other invertebrates
Lifestyle: Feeds in the air
Migration: Migratory
Conservation: Least Concern

More measurements

Wing: 182 mm
Tail: 106 mm
Bill: 20 mm
Tarsus: 31 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Africa, Palearctic: patchily southern temperate to tropical grassland near water, western, central Palearctic and Africa

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Subspecies · 1

Glareola pratincola pratincola steppe near water, s Europe and n Africa through Turkey, Egypt and the Caucasus through c Asia (except n) to Xinjiang (nw China), s to Pakistan and far nw India | non-breeding: n tropical Africa