Common name: Collared Pratincole
Scientific name: Glareola pratincola
Family: Glareolidae

Size:
Body length: 24–28 cm
Wingspan: 60–70 cm
Weight: 80–110 g

Identification:
A slender, elegant bird with long pointed wings and a forked tail, often seen in fast, agile flight. It has brown upperparts, buff underparts, and a distinctive black-and-white facial pattern with a dark throat bordered by a thin pale line. The bill is short and slightly curved, with a reddish base and dark tip. In flight, it resembles a swallow more than a typical wader.

Habitat:
Open habitats such as wetlands, mudflats, dry plains, saltpans, riverbeds, and agricultural fields. Often associated with areas near water.

Status in the UAE:
Passage migrant and local breeder. Commonly recorded during migration, with occasional breeding in suitable open habitats.

Diet:
Carnivorous — feeds mainly on flying insects such as beetles, flies, and dragonflies, often caught in mid-air.

Behavior:
Highly aerial and social, often seen in flocks performing agile, looping flights while hunting. Frequently flies low over open ground or water. Nests on the ground in simple scrapes, and both parents share incubation and chick care. Known for distraction displays to protect nests.

Conservation status:
Least Concern (IUCN Red List)