Glareolidae – Coursers & Pratincoles

The Glareolidae (Coursers & Pratincoles) family is related to the waders, but merits its own family. The order Charadriiformes also includes Pluvianellidae (Magellanic Plover), Chionidae  (Sheathbills), Burhinidae (Thick-knees & Stone Curlews), Pluvianidae (Egyptian Plover), Ibidorhynchidae (Ibisbill), Haematopodidae (Oystercatchers), Recurvirostridae (Stilts & Avocets), Charadriidae (Plovers & Lapwings), Pedionomidae (Plains Wanderer), Thinocoridae (Seedsnipes), Rostratulidae (Painted Snipe), Jacanidae (Jacanas), Scolopacidae (Sandpipers), Dromadidae (Crab-Plover), Turnicidae (Buttonquails), Stercorariidae (Skuas), Alcidae (Auks) and Laridae (Gulls, Terns & Skimmers). Glareolidae contains two distinct groups, the pratincoles and the coursers.

The feature that most clearly defines this family from the rest of the Charadriiforme order is the bill, which is arched and has the nostrils at the base.

Collared Pratincole Glareola pratincole – ©Dubi Shapiro

The pratincoles have short legs, long pointed wings and long forked tails. They have a buoyant flight that allows them the unusual (for the order) hunting technique of taking their insect prey on the wing like swallows. The wings also allow for long migrations in some species. The coursers have long legs, which are used to run (giving the group its name. The wings are shorter and have a more sustained flight than that of the pratincoles.

The coursers are largely crepuscular or nocturnal in their habits, and are generally inconspicuous, particularly the woodland species. They are not as social as the highly gregarious and noisy pratincoles, some species of which may also active at dawn and dusk.

Cream-colored Courser Cursorius cursor – ©Dubi Shapiro

Insects form the majority of the diet of all the Glareolidae. The pratincoles forage mainly on the wing, but are able to take prey on the ground as well. They are opportunistic, and have been recorded attending herds of antelope to snatch insects flushed up by their movement, or even insects attracted to street lights. Swarming insects, such as locusts or termites, are particularly targeted. Coursers are exclusively terrestrial, and feed in a plover-like fashion, running, then stopping to scan for prey before moving on. Some species may dig for insects win soft soil with their bills. In addition to insects, coursers may also take other invertebrates, molluscs and some seeds.

Madagascan Pratincole Glareola ocularis – ©Dubi Shapiro

The pratincoles and coursers have an Old-World distribution, occurring in southern Europe, Asia, Africa (including Madagascar), and Australia. The family is thought to have evolved in Africa, which is where the family achieves its greatest diversity.