9

Australian Pratincoles have a predominantly light greyish-brown plumage. The head (except for the throat) neck, mantle and most of the wing feathers are light greyish-brown. A lighter, cream-coloured chest band contrasts with the dark-brown belly, while the vent is also cream-coloured. The lores and wing tips are black. The irises are dark, the bill is pink with a black tip and the legs and feet are dark-grey. Juveniles have a lightly mottled, somewhat darker plumage and an all-black bill.

Twitcher's tip

Compared to Oriental Pratincoles, Australian Pratincoles have longer legs that protrude beyond the tip of the square tail in-flight. They also have darker, greyish underwings with light-grey tips.

Although quite different when seen sitting on the ground, because of their raptor-like wing shape in-flight Australian Pratincoles can be easily mistaken for Nankeen Kestrels.

The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org .

The global distribution of the Australian Pratincole is available HERE .

Australian Pratincoles are found only in Indonesia, New Guinea and Australia.

Australian Pratincoles are migratory birds that breed exclusively in Australia. They migrate to Australia from the North, from Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea and also tropical islands. In Australia their range is very complex - see a field guide for details. They are found mostly along a narrow coastal strip in northern WA, parts of the NT, parts of western QLD (but also a narrow strip along the tropical East coast) and in the semi-arid to arid areas of the eastern half of SA (including the Lake Eyre Basin and the area around Adelaide, SA) and the western half of NSW (including the Murray-Darling Basin).

In Australia, Australian Pratincoles have a preference for semi-arid to arid open plains, i.e. open grassland and gibber plains, but they are also found around ephemeral wetlands and often by roadsides. They can also be found regularly on fallow fields (basically wherever there is hardly any visible plant growth).

Where to look? How to find this species?

Australian Pratincoles have a jizz like a cross between a Nankeen Kestrel and a tern, while in behaviour they are closer to a Banded Lapwing (which which we have found them together). In south-eastern inland Australia, Australian Pratincoles are usually found by us only in hot and dry (summer) conditions.

We have seen Australian Pratincoles in various locations on trips to inland NSW, especially in the NSW outback (beyond Bourke).

They have been found in various types of habitat, from a shallow ephemeral wetland to roadsides and gibber, in groups ranging from 2 to 6 individuals that were constantly calling each other.

More than 10 Australian Pratincoles were also spotted by us at Goran Lake, an ephemeral lake 30 km South of Gunnedah, NSW, in December 2012.

Next, 4 Australian Pratincoles were found by us on the edge of a shallow puddle on a fallow field between Burren Junction and Pilliga, NSW, in December 2015.

A. Dowe reports spotting a pair of Australian Pratincoles on a broadacre farm 5 km South-East of Bellata, NSW, in May 2013. A single bird was spotted by us returning to the same location in September 2013. In the past, up to five pairs were observed on the same farm, on (often fallow) fields. Long ago, in the 1980ies, they also nested there.

C. Charles reports spotting Australian Pratincoles in Astrebla Downs NP, QLD, in August 2013.

B. Hensen reports spotting Australian Pratincoles at Fogg Dam NR, NT, in August 2013.

C. Hayne reports spotting small numbers of Australian Pratincoles occasionally at various locations near Moree, in various types of habitat (from ephemeral wetlands to empty irrigation dams and fallow fields).

J. Greaves reports spotting an Australian Pratincole at Alyangula, Groote Eylandt, NT, in September 2014.

H. Mouritsen reports spotting Australian Pratincoles in two different locations near Darwin, NT, in October 2015.

M. Mearns reports spotting Australian Pratincoles near Dajarra, far-western QLD, in November 2012. More Australian Pratincoles were found along the Bedouri to Boulia Highway, western QLD, in September 2019.

M. Eaton reports finding an Australian Pratincole at Banool Road, close to Atkinson Dam, near Clarendon, Somerset, QLD, in November 2019. Many Australian Pratincoles were found in western QLD since August/September 2022.

P. Brown found an Australian Pratincole along Jollys Dam Road, Pine Creek, NT, in January 2020.

J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours reports spotting an Australian Pratincole in Mossman, QLD, in August 2020.