Oriental Pratincole

Migrant, non-breeding visitor and breeding visitor.

Unique, tern-like shorebird with short thick bill, long wings, forked tail and graceful flight. In flight, has white rump and white, black-tipped forked tail. From below, underwing coverts are rich russet brown. Ad B: (possible year-round) Bill black with bright red base; legs brownish-grey. Head, nape and breast plain brown except for blackish lores, white eyering (sometimes lower crescent only), black ‘chinstrap’ encircling throat; cream to peach-coloured chin and throat. Breast brown; lower breast peach; belly to vent white. Mantle, scapulars and wing coverts plain brown; greater coverts slightly darker. Open wing above shows uniformly dark brown secondaries and primaries, and outer tail feathers show black only at the extreme tip. Ad Nb: (possible-year round) As Ad B except head and bill colours relatively indistinct. Bill base dull red; lores concolorous with head, chinstrap broken into thick streaks; peach wash on breast absent. Juv: (Mar – Jul) As AD Nb except mantle, scapulars, coverts and tertials have dark subterminal marks and buff  fringes. Prebasic moult is complete, so aging is not possible once juvenile upperpart feathers have been fully moulted. Careful scrutiny may, however, reveal a few juvenile coverts as late as December.

Collared Pratincole has occurred in Thailand and Australia, so should be checked for. Most easily identified by obvious white border to inner wing, much longer outer tail feathers (thus more forked tail), which have distal half black (just tip on Oriental). At rest, Collared Pratincole tail reaches primary tips; legs average shorter than on Oriental; nostril shape long and slit-like on Collared (more oval-shaped on Oriental). See https://www.dutchbirding.nl/journal/pdf/DB_2005_27_1.pdf for more detailed analysis. Black-winged Pratincole has occurred in Sri Lanka and could also be overlooked among Oriental Pratincole flocks. Black-winged Pratincole has long outer tail feathers, like Collared, but lacks white trailing edge to inner wing, like Oriental. Underwing coverts uniformly black. 

When foraging on the ground, does so like a plover, using a pause-walk-peck action. More often feeds on the wing, hawking for large insects with acrobatic manoeuvres. On migration, flocks fly at great height, when care is needed to identify them from migrating White-winged Terns. Birds at nest sites attempt to distract intruders by feigning injury, moving jerkily across the ground with wings half spread. Breeding birds also mob intruders aerially.

Occurs anywhere on the coastal plain, favouring freshwater marshes. Breeds opportunistically when suitable conditions occur. Breeding sites are often construction sites, where land has been cleared and allowed to settle. Such sites are rarely usable for more than 1-2 seasons due to development. Very large flocks of 1000+ birds occur on migration, particular in Perak.

Seen in all months. Most frequently seen from September to June.