Description
The Australian Pratincole is a medium sized slender shorebird with long legs, long pointed wings and a short decurved bill. It is 19–24 cm long, has a wingspan of 50–60 cm and weighs 55-75grams.
The sexes look alike however their breeding and non-breeding plumage differs.
Breeding plumage- The head, neck, breast and upperparts are a sandy brown grading.The wings are pointed and black and there is a black loral strip. The chin and throat are white and the breast is a sandy brown. The bill is bright red with a black base and the iris is dark brown. Legs and feet are grey to black.
Non-breeding plumage- This plumage is not well known as there are also effects from seasonal and individual variation. The loral stripe is fainter than when in breeding plumage and the base of the bill is paler. The upperparts are grey-brown with sandy-buff fringes. Sometimes there are dark flecks at the borders of the pale throat.
Juvenile- The plumage is similar to a non-breeding adult but a slightly paler sandy brown colour. The lores lack the black colour and the forehead, crown and nape are streaked dark brown. The bill is grey-black with a faint reddish base.
In flight- The upperbody and inner wing are sandy brown with black on the outer wing.The tail is square-cut with the upper-tail coverts and sides of the tail white.
The Australian Pratincole is slightly slimmer and smaller in size with longer legs than Oriental Pratincole (Glareola maldivarum). Juveniles with worn plumage and birds in non-breeding plumage could also be confused with the Oriental Pratincole
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