Australian pratincole facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Australian pratincole |
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The Australian pratincole (Stiltia isabella) is a type of bird that belongs to the Glareolidae family. These birds are found in Australia. They spend their breeding season in the middle parts of Australia. When winter comes, they fly north and east. They also travel to Indonesia and New Guinea.
This bird is a medium-sized shorebird. It moves around a lot, so it's called "nomadic." You can often find it in the dry, inland areas of Australia. They mostly breed in areas from south-western Queensland to northern Victoria. They also breed across central Australia to the Kimberley region in Western Australia.
About 60,000 Australian pratincoles are estimated to live in Australia. They are a migratory species. This means they travel long distances. They usually fly to the southern parts of their home range to breed. This happens during spring and summer. In winter, they fly north. They go to northern Australia, New Guinea, Java, Sulawesi, and southern Borneo. Even though they are common, it can be hard to predict where they will be. Their location often changes.
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About the Australian Pratincole
The Australian pratincole is part of the Glareolidae family. It is the only species in its group, called Stiltia. This means it's unique!
What are other names for this bird?
People call the Australian pratincole by many other names. Some of these include:
- Pratincole
- Arnhem Land grouse
- Australian courser
- Roadrunner
- Nankeen plover
- Swallow-plover
What Does the Australian Pratincole Look Like?
The Australian pratincole is a medium-sized, thin shorebird. It has long legs and long, pointed wings. Its beak is short and curves downwards. These birds are usually 19–24 cm long. Their wingspan can be 50–60 cm wide. They weigh between 55 and 75 grams.
Male and female pratincoles look similar. However, their feathers change between breeding and non-breeding seasons.
Breeding Season Look
During the breeding season, their feathers are easy to spot.
- Their head, neck, chest, and upper body are sandy brown.
- Their wings are pointed and black.
- They have a black stripe near their eyes, called a loral strip.
- Their chin and throat are white.
- Their chest is sandy brown.
- The beak is bright red with a black base.
- Their eyes are dark brown.
- Their legs and feet are grey to black.
Non-Breeding Season Look
Their look in the non-breeding season is not as well known. This is because their feathers can change a lot. It depends on the season and the individual bird.
- The black stripe near their eyes is lighter.
- The base of their beak is paler.
- Their upper body is grey-brown with sandy-buff edges on the feathers.
- Sometimes, they have dark spots around their pale throat.
Young Pratincoles (Juveniles)
Young pratincoles look similar to adults in the non-breeding season.
- Their feathers are a slightly paler sandy brown.
- They do not have the black stripe near their eyes.
- Their forehead, crown, and back of the neck have dark brown streaks.
- Their beak is grey-black with a faint reddish base.
How They Look in Flight
When flying, you can see their upper body and inner wings are sandy brown. Their outer wings are black. Their tail is square-shaped. The feathers above their tail and on the sides of their tail are white.
The Australian pratincole is a bit thinner and smaller than the oriental pratincole. It also has longer legs. Young pratincoles or those in non-breeding feathers can sometimes be confused with the oriental pratincole.
Where Do Australian Pratincoles Live?
Australian pratincoles live in open, treeless areas. They also like sparse wooded plains and grasslands. You can find them in claypans and areas with gibberstone (small, rounded stones). Most of these places are dry or semi-dry.
Sometimes, they are found near wetlands, creeks, and river beds. They also like bore drains, lagoons, springs, and sewage farms. During the breeding season, they need low shrubs. The baby chicks use these shrubs to hide and stay safe.
How Do Australian Pratincoles Behave?
What Do They Eat?
Australian pratincoles mainly eat insects, spiders, and centipedes. They catch insects in two ways. They either fly and catch them in the air. Or, they pick them off the ground. When they hunt on the ground, they sneak up on their prey. Then, they dart forward. Sometimes, they spread one wing out to help catch the food. They hunt actively during the day. Their busiest times are at dawn (sunrise) and dusk (sunset).
They need to drink water. This is because they cool themselves down by letting water evaporate from their mouths. They have special glands that help them deal with salt. So, they can drink both salty and temporary water sources.
How Do They Breed?
Australian pratincoles are monogamous. This means a male and female bird stay together during the breeding season. They usually lay two eggs on the bare ground. They make a small dip in the ground called a "scrape." If the ground is dry, they might lay only one egg.
The scrape can be on stony ground. If the ground is soft, they make a small dip. Sometimes, they put small stones or sheep droppings around the nest. They might also line the nest with small pebbles, dry plants, or rabbit droppings.
The eggs are light cream to stony brown in color. They have short, wavy streaks and irregular spots. These spots are brownish-black mixed with smaller bluish-grey marks. Each egg is about 31mm by 24mm.
Both male and female pratincoles take turns sitting on the eggs. They also both care for the chicks. The young birds are "semi-precocial." This means they are somewhat developed when they hatch. They are sandy buff with black marks. At about 10 days old, feathers start to grow. By 3 weeks, they have full feathers. They look similar to an adult in the non-breeding season. The parents feed the young until they can fly. This happens when they are 4–5 weeks old.
How Do They Migrate?
Australian pratincoles gather in large groups to migrate. You can hear them calling to each other constantly within the flock as they travel.
Courtship and Mating
When pratincoles arrive at their breeding grounds, they seem to already be paired up. At this time, the birds work to keep their bond strong. They might also start courtship rituals. Choosing a nest site seems to be part of this bonding process. Both the male and female are equally involved.
They have been seen running to a spot. One bird sits down and shuffles its belly. It then throws small objects sideways. The mate watches. Then, it picks another spot and does the same thing.
Family Life
After the chicks hatch, the parents lead them to nearby cover or a safe spot. Some chicks stay in the nest for one day. The parents feed the chicks. They might fly up to nearly 1 km away with food in their beak. The chicks then run out to be fed. They probably respond to calls from their parents.
How Do They Distract Threats?
The Australian pratincole has many ways to distract things that might threaten its nest or chicks. These are called "distraction displays."
- False-brooding: They pretend to sit on eggs somewhere else.
- Low flight: They fly low, skimming the tops of shrubs.
- Wings held up: They hold their wings straight up.
- Injury-feigning: They pretend to be hurt and move away from the threat. This shows off their black and white tail pattern.
- Injury-feigning towards intruder: They pretend to be hurt and move towards the threat.
- Darting and jumping: They dart around or jump 20 cm in the air. They might act like they are feeding, sometimes with partly spread wings.
- Loud wing beats: During intense distraction displays, they loudly beat their wings on the ground. This is often with a loud alarm call.
What Do Their Calls Sound Like?
Australian pratincoles are known to call during summer thunderstorms. Their calls can be sweet, sad whistles, or very soft trills. They also make loud, sharp notes. Scientists have not found any differences in calls between males and females.
Four main types of calls have been identified:
- Flight call: A sweet, whistling sound that goes up in tone, like weeteet or quirriepeet. These calls are usually a series of 3-4 quick, repeated notes. The length varies, and the tone rises then falls quickly.
- Far-contact call: A sad, down-slurred sound, like tuwhee. This call is used between mates near the nest. It is also used to call chicks.
- Greeting call: A gentle trilled sound, like pree, or a short phrase like pree-pree-pippip-pip. This call is used during courtship and when flying to a mate.
- Alarm call: Loud, sharp notes that get stronger, like WIT-itit, Weetle-itit, and wee-WIT-ititit. These calls sometimes come with distraction displays.
See also
In Spanish: Canastera patilarga para niños
