Collared Pratincole vs Small Pratincole

Collared Pratincole

Glareola pratincola

Medium85 gGrassland

This pratincole is 24–28 cm (9.4–11.0 in) long with a 60–70 cm (24–28 in) wingspan. It has short legs, long pointed wings, a long forked tail, and a short bill, which is an adaptation to aerial feeding. The back and head are brown, and the wings are brown with darker flight feathers. The belly is white. The underwings are chestnut, but look dark below. Very good views are needed to distinguish this species from other pratincoles, such as the black-winged pratincole and the oriental pratincole, which may occur in its range.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Steve Garvie (rainbirder) · CC BY 2.0

Small Pratincole

Glareola lactea

Small40 gRiverine

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.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Lorensonowal · CC BY 4.0

Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Collared Pratincole and Small Pratincole.