Coursers, Pratincoles

The Glareolidae family, consisting of pratincoles and coursers, is characterized by an arched bill with basal nostrils and a distribution across the Old World, including southern Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia. Pratincoles are known for their short legs, long wings, forked tails, buoyant flight, and are unique amongst similar species for catching insects in the air like swallows, and some migrate long distances. Coursers, on the other hand, have longer legs suitable for running, which is reflected in their name, and shorter wings for sustained flight. Their habitats vary; coursers are typically found in open arid environments while pratincoles are often associated with wetlands and inland waterways, with some exceptions. The pratincoles can be highly migratory, performing long-distance flights at high altitudes, as opposed to the generally more sedentary and nomadic coursers. Behaviors vary with coursers being mostly crepuscular and nocturnal and inconspicuous, while pratincoles can be gregarious and noisy, with some active at dawn and dusk. Their diet primarily includes insects with the pratincoles foraging both in flight and on the ground and adapting to various opportunities to feed, while coursers hunt in a terrestrial manner, sometimes digging for insects in the soil. The family's evolutionary history can be traced through various fossils found in Europe and North America, with the main diversity stemming from Africa.