Wildlifeof Sri Lanka
Oriental Pratincole
Shorebirds
Photo: Kim, Hyun-tae · CC BY 4.0 (May be cropped or resized)
Glareola maldivarum
Basic stats
Habitat
Open country, often near water
Range
Asia; breeds from north Pakistan and Kashmir, sporadically south to the Maldives and Sri Lanka
Clutch size
2-3 eggs
The Oriental pratincole, also called the grasshopper-bird or swallow-plover, has short legs, long pointed wings, a long forked tail and a short bill for aerial feeding. The back and head are brown, the flight feathers black, the belly white and the underwing chestnut, which can look black unless seen well. It is very like the collared pratincole, which also has a chestnut underwing (Wikipedia, general species account).
It is a bird of open country, often seen near water in the evening hawking for insects, although it can also feed on the ground. It lays two or three eggs on the ground. It breeds from north Pakistan and Kashmir and sporadically southwards towards the Maldives and Sri Lanka. Nationally Endangered (Sri Lanka National Red List 2012).
Quick answers
- What habitat does the Oriental Pratincole live in?
- Open country, often near water
- Where is the Oriental Pratincole found?
- Asia; breeds from north Pakistan and Kashmir, sporadically south to the Maldives and Sri Lanka
- How many eggs does the Oriental Pratincole lay?
- 2-3 eggs