The Australian Pratincole (Stiltia isabella) (or possibly Glareola isabella) is a medium-sized slender 'shorebird' with long legs, long pointed wings and a short decurved bill.
I placed shorebird in inverted commas because, although it is classified within the Charadriiformes, which include most familiar shorebirds (aka waders), this species is more closely related to coursers, gulls, skuas and auks than it is to the predominantly shore-based waders.
The fact that this is an odd looking bird may be responsible for its range of former common names, which include the Arnhem Land grouse, the Australian courser, the roadrunner, the nankeen plover, and the swallow-plover.
When I first saw these birds in flight - and this was the first time I had ever seen one - I thought they were some form of tern, but once they had landed it was clear what the were. In flight its most distinctive feature are its extremely long, narrow, pointed wings. On the ground they can be seen to have very long legs as well.
The birds have a body length of about 22 cm and a wingspan of 50 to 60 cm. Although not colourful, they are an attractive bird - especially on the wing.
The Australian Pratincole can be seen over much of central and northern Australia, which this distribution skewed towards the easter side of the country.
They are often found around inland waterways, but have a clear liking for areas of stony ground with very limited vegetation such as clay pans and the bare margins swamps. In other words, the kind of habitat shown in these pictures.
I was these birds - there were probably 10 - 15 of them at Knuckey Lagoons, which is a site about 20 minutes from Darwin.
As ever, to join in with WBW click on the blue link below. Cheers SM
"Swallow-plover" really is a fitting former name for them! Lovely captures!
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