Glareola nuchalis G.R.Gray, 1849

Taxonomic Identification

The rock pratincole (Glareola nuchalis G.R.Gray, 1849) is a wading bird native to Africa.

Adult Plumage

Mature adults have dark gray or brown plumage, with a white collar-like line that starts beneath the eye and extends to the back of the neck. They have long dark wings with a clear white patch on the underwing, a forked tail, and usually a white belly.

Soft Part Coloration

Their bill is black with a red base, while the legs and eyes are coral red.

Vocalizations

Both sexes produce a faint whistling contact call and musical purring, and become very noisy when acting aggressively.

Species Measurements

Standard measurements for this species are: length 16.5–19.5 cm, wing length 14.3–16.0 cm, bill length 10–12 mm, tail length 5–6 cm, and body mass 43–52 grams.

Subspecies Count

There are two recognized subspecies of rock pratincole.

Rufous-collared Subspecies Range

G. n. liberiae (Schlegel, 1881), also called rufous-collared pratincole, ranges from Sierra Leone to western Cameroon.

White-collared Subspecies Range

G. n. nuchalis (Gray, 1849), also called white-collared pratincole, ranges from Chad to Ethiopia, south to southern Angola, and from northeast Namibia to western Zambia and Mozambique.

Preferred Habitat

This species lives along rocky river and lake embankments, and its seasonal movements are determined by local water levels.

Migratory Status

It is an intra-African migrant, found peripherally along the coast of South Africa in equatorial regions.

Movement Triggers

The birds migrate away when their habitat areas flood, and return when rocks become exposed during drought.

Social Grouping

They live in flocks of around 26 pairs on and around these rocks.

Daily Activity Pattern

They feed on insects during the morning and evening, and wade in cool water during the hottest part of the day. They will also feed during the day when conditions are overcast.

Foraging Association

They are regularly seen perched on hippopotamuses to scavenge for insects.

Diet and Hunting Method

Their diet is made up mostly of flies, moths, ants, beetles, grasshoppers, and cicadas, and they attack their prey from the air.