Small Pratincole
Glareola lactea
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderCharadriiformes (Shorebirds and Allies)
- FamilyGlareolidae (Pratincoles and Coursers)
- GenusGlareola (Typical Pratincoles)
- SpeciesGlareola lactea (Small Pratincole)
About the Small Pratincole
The small pratincole, little pratincole, or small Indian pratincole (Glareola lactea) is a small wader in the pratincole family, Glareolidae. The small pratincole is a resident breeder in India, Western Pakistan, Bangladesh, Burma, Laos, Cambodia, Sri Lanka and Thailand. It breeds from December to March on gravel or sand banks near rivers and lakes, laying 2–4 eggs in a ground scrape. Breeding areas include small areas in northern Karnataka (manvi district raichur and along the Hemavathi River) and northern Kerala near Kannur.
This species is only 16.5–18.5 cm (6.5–7.3 in) in length, with a 42–48 cm (17–19 in) wingspan. Because of its small size, the small pratincole can be briefly confused in flight with swifts or swallows. 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... Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Manas National Park
Red-wattled Lapwing
Vanellus indicus
River Lapwing
Vanellus duvaucelii
Green Sandpiper
Tringa ochropus
Common Sandpiper
Actitis hypoleucos
Common Snipe
Gallinago gallinago
Grey-headed Lapwing
Vanellus cinereus
Bronze-winged Jacana
Metopidius indicus
Northern Lapwing
Vanellus vanellus
Barred Buttonquail
Turnix suscitator
Greater Painted-Snipe
Rostratula benghalensis
Common Greenshank
Tringa nebularia
Pheasant-tailed Jacana
Hydrophasianus chirurgus
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chitwan National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 2 | Bandipur National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 3 | Satpura National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 4 | Yala National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 5 | Nagarhole National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 6 | Keoladeo National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 7 | Ranthambore National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 8 | Jim Corbett National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 9 | Manas National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 10 | Kaziranga National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 11 | Khao Yai National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 12 | Royal Bardia National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 13 | Namdapha National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 14 | Sundarbans National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 15 | Kanha National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 16 | Kaeng Krachan National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Small Pratincole in Manas National Park?
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Small Pratincole sighting in Manas National Park, based on 36 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Small Pratincole in Manas National Park?
April has the highest sighting rate for Small Pratincole in Manas National Park in our monthly data.