Gray pratincole

Glareola cinerea

SUBFAMILY

Glareolinae

TAXONOMY

Glareola cinerea Fraser, 1843, mouth of River Niger, Nigeria. Monotypic.

OTHER COMMON NAMES

English: Cream-colored pratincole; French: Glaréole grise; German: Graubrachschwalbe; Spanish: Canastera Gris.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

7.1–7.9 in (18–20 cm). Small and pale overall; above pale gray with rufous hindneck; below white, washed ochre across breast. Legs and base of bill red.

DISTRIBUTION

Tropical West Africa from Mali to Congo (Zaire).

HABITAT

Large rivers with exposed sand banks; in flood season also coastal habitats, including mangrove swamps.

BEHAVIOR

Usually gregarious at all times. Forages on the wing and rests on sand banks.

FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET

Catches flying insects on the wing and also chases insects and spiders by running on ground.

REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY

Nests colonially on sand banks, laying one or two eggs in an unlined scrape not far from water. Breeding biology poorly known.

CONSERVATION STATUS

While still locally abundant, some breeding sites have been eliminated by damming, such as Lake Volta in Ghana. Also subject to human disturbance, but not under immediate threat.

SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS

None known.