Black-winged pratincole
The black-winged pratincole (Glareola nordmanni) is a small wading bird in the pratincole family. It is about 24–28 cm long, with short legs, long pointed wings and a forked tail. It has a short bill for catching insects in flight. The back and head are brown, the wings are brown with black flight feathers, the belly is white, and the underwings are black.
It can be hard to tell apart from similar pratincoles, like the collared and oriental pratincoles, unless you have a good view. It is slightly larger than the collared pratincole and has a shorter tail and longer legs. The dark underwing and the lack of a white edge to the wing help, but these features aren’t always easy to see in the field.
Habitat and behavior: It prefers open country near water and often hawks insects in the evening. It breeds in warmer parts of southeast Europe and southwest Asia and migrates to tropical Africa for winter. It is rare north or west of its breeding range.
Breeding: It lays 2–4 eggs on the ground.
Feeding: Although a wader, it usually hunts insects on the wing like a swallow, though it can also feed on the ground.
Conservation: The black-winged pratincole is listed as Near Threatened and is covered by the AEWA agreement.
Other notes: The genus name Glareola comes from Latin for “gravel,” referring to nesting habitats, and the species name nordmanni honors Alexander von Nordmann. A parasite called Apororhynchus paulonucleatus has been found in its intestine.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 11:51 (CET).