Birda Logo
Features
Birda+
About
Species Guide
Challenges
Shop
loading...

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.

Regions

A photo of a Black-winged Pratincole (Glareola nordmanni)

Black-winged Pratincole

Glareola nordmanni
A photo of a Collared Pratincole (Glareola pratincola)

Collared Pratincole

Glareola pratincola
A photo of a Cream-coloured Courser (Cursorius cursor)

Cream-coloured Courser

Cursorius cursor
A photo of a Oriental Pratincole (Glareola maldivarum)

Oriental Pratincole

Glareola maldivarum
App logo
Birda is a birdwatching app and community aimed at curious people who want to deepen their connection with nature.
1
Birda Logo

Your birdwatching journey like never before

Connect with nature in minutes
Take a walk, look out of the window and log the birds that you see. Feel good about those little connections to nature.
Discover the joy of birding
Find new birding spots, see more birds, share and celebrate with a like-minded community of nature lovers.
Play your part in saving nature
Logging your birding sightings and sessions turns into positive action for our planet. Every sighting counts.

Species Categories

Birda Blog

What Our Birders Say
Emma L
App got me interested in birding!
Super friendly community <3 This app got me interested in birding! It teaches me cool stuff and its super friendly, and fun :) The species guide is really developing my knowledge, and i love seeing cool new birds from round the world!
Sacha0508
Simply fantastic
I love this app, it puts so much fun into recording the birds I’ve seen and heard while I’m out and about. The interface is user-friendly and suitable for all ages. It’s great to collect badges and to review my “lists”.
Madstherangers
A mordern game changer
Birda is an awesome app, its updated the world of birding to the modern day with a fun and easy to use app. It’s engaging and allows positive interaction with fellow bird lovers!
Carl B
Helped me to identify more birds
Love this app and has helped me to identify more birds. The challenges and badges are great for keeping the motivation going to get out and keep birding.
Ellesse_W
Learning Birding with Birda
I’m relatively new to birding as a hobby, and Birda is a great way to keep track off all the species I see. I’m still working on my ID skills, but the app is great for figuring out potential species, and the online community is so friendly and helpful. Definitely recommend Birda to both early and serious birders! 🐦
Dan R
Great app for bird fanatics
Great app for bird fanatics - very user friendly and a perfect place to share sightings.
Pdydhdrexgi
Fantastic App
This is a really lovely app, for everyone interested in birds - from newbies to old hands. There is a very friendly feel to the community and you will genuinely learn a lot as you record your sightings and photos. There are lots of badges and competitions to keep you engaged, and a host of really useful features.
EandB17
Terrific App for Birders
Downloaded Birda around the time my interest in birding was sparked, and it has been a terrific app to help me (1) share my experience, (2) document my sightings, and (3) learn more about birds in general. That said, I also believe Birda is a fantastic app for birders of all experience levels. Great community!
Chudbond
Love Birda
I love this app. It really encourages you to log your sightings and the community is friendly and helpful.
Anonymous
The best bird logging app
Birda is honestly the best bird logging app I have seen. I love all the features it has from being able to do a session and log all the birds you see in one sitting, to being able to connect with other birders from all over the globe!
As featured in
Birda Logo
AboutPressAmbassadorsAffiliatesInfluencersCareersPrivacyTerms & Conditions
An app for birdwatchers
Connect with us
Copyright © 2024 Chirp Birding. All rights reserved.