Black-winged pratincole Black-winged pratincole 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. 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. The black-winged pratincole is a bird of open country and is often seen near water in the evening, hawking for insects. This pratincole
Collared pratincole 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. The latter species also has a chestnut underwing, but is shorter-tailed. The collared pratincole is divided into two subspecies: Pratincoles are unusual among waders in that they typically hunt their insect prey on the wing like swallows, although they can also feed on