Black-winged pratincole

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Black-winged pratincole
Tyrkyshka.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Glareolidae
Genus: Glareola
Species:
G. nordmanni
Binomial name
Glareola nordmanni
Illustration by Johann Friedrich Naumann Glareola nordmanni.jpg
Illustration by Johann Friedrich Naumann

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 name commemorates the Finnish-born zoologist and explorer Alexander von Nordmann. [2]

Contents

Description

It is 24–28 cm (9.4–11.0 in) long, with short legs, long pointed wings and a forked tail. It has a short bill, which is an adaptation to aerial feeding. The back and head are brown, and the wings are brown with black flight feathers. The belly is white and the underwings are black. Very good views are needed to distinguish this species from other pratincoles, such as the collared pratincole and the oriental pratincole which may occur in its range. It is marginally larger than the collared pratincole, and is shorter-tailed and longer legged. Although the dark underwing and lack of a white trailing edge to the wing are diagnostic, these features are not always readily seen in the field, especially as the chestnut underwing of the collared pratincole appears black unless excellent views are obtained.

Distribution and habitat

The black-winged pratincole is a bird of open country and is often seen near water in the evening, hawking for insects. This pratincole is found in warmer parts of south-east Europe and south-west Asia. It is migratory, wintering in tropical Africa, and is rare north or west of the breeding range.

Behaviour

Breeding

Its 2–4 eggs are laid on the ground.

Feeding

An unusual feature of the pratincoles is that, although classed as waders, they typically hunt their insect prey on the wing like swallows, although they can also feed on the ground.

Conservation

The black-winged pratincole is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies.

The Acanthocephalan parasite Apororhynchus paulonucleatus was discovered in the intestine of the black-winged pratincole. [3]

Eggs, Collection Museum Wiesbaden, Germany Glareola nordmanni MWNH 0276.JPG
Eggs, Collection Museum Wiesbaden, Germany

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pratincole</span> Subfamily of birds

The pratincoles or greywaders are a subfamily (Glareolinae) of birds which together with the coursers make up the family Glareolidae. They have short legs, very long pointed wings and long forked tails.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glareolidae</span> Family of birds

Glareolidae is a family of birds in the wader suborder Lari. It contains two distinct groups, the pratincoles and the coursers. The atypical Egyptian plover, traditionally placed in this family, is now known to be only distantly related.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wood sandpiper</span> Species of bird

The wood sandpiper is a small wader. This Eurasian species is the smallest of the shanks, which are mid-sized long-legged waders of the family Scolopacidae. The genus name Tringa is the Neo-Latin name given to the green sandpiper by Aldrovandus in 1599 based on Ancient Greek trungas, a thrush-sized, white-rumped, tail-bobbing wading bird mentioned by Aristotle. The specific glareola is from Latin glarea, " gravel".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Collared pratincole</span> Species of bird

The collared pratincole, 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oriental pratincole</span> Species of bird

The oriental pratincole, also known as the grasshopper-bird or swallow-plover, is a wader in the pratincole family, Glareolidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cream-colored courser</span> Species of bird

The cream-colored courser is a wader in the pratincole and courser family, Glareolidae. Both parts of the scientific name derive from Latin cursor, "runner", from currere, "to run" which describes their usual habit as they hunt their insect prey on the ground in dry open semi-desert regions of the Middle East and northern Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spur-winged lapwing</span> Species of bird

The spur-winged lapwing or spur-winged plover is a lapwing species, one of a group of largish waders in the family Charadriidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Small pratincole</span> Species of bird

The small pratincole, little pratincole, or small Indian pratincole is a small wader in the pratincole family, Glareolidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">African wattled lapwing</span> Species of bird

The African wattled lapwing, also known as the Senegal wattled plover or simply wattled lapwing, is a large lapwing, a group of largish waders in the family Charadriidae. It is a resident breeder in most of sub-Saharan Africa outside the rainforests, although it has seasonal movements.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rock pratincole</span> Species of bird

The rock pratincole is a species of bird in the family Glareolidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australian pratincole</span> Species of bird

The Australian pratincole 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 shorebird which is commonly found in arid inland Australia. It breeds predominantly from south-western Queensland to northern Victoria and through central Australia to the Kimberley region in Western Australia. The Australian population is estimated at 60,000 individuals. They are a migratory species that generally move to the southern parts of their distribution range to breed during spring and summer. During winter they migrate to northern Australia, New Guinea, Java, Sulawesi and southern Borneo to over-winter. Although they are common, their occurrence is unpredictable and varies in location.

References

  1. BirdLife International (2016). "Glareola nordmanni". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T22694136A90086476. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22694136A90086476.en . Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  2. Jobling, James A (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. pp.  174, 274. ISBN   978-1-4081-2501-4.
  3. Peresad'ko, L. V. (1980). "Nematoda and Acanthocephala of Charadriiformes, new for West Siberia". Sistematika I Ekologiya Zhivotnykh Novye I Maloizvestnye Vidy Fauny Sibiri (in Russian): 10–23.