Australian Pratincole

Description:

The Australian Pratincole is a "long-legged, slim-bodied bird with an upright stance and elegant posture when perched. It is sandy-olive with very long, narrow, pointed black wings, and has a deep chestnut brown and black patch on its flanks. When breeding, the bill is bright red at the base and on the gape, the legs and feet are dark grey, brownish or dark red. When not breeding, the plumage is duller, the bill mostly black, with blackish spotting on the throat and smaller flank-marks." (Birdlife Australia)

Habitat:

Come in for a drink at Mankajarra Wetlands. This is towards the end of the dry season and in the build up to the wet season. Although the water level was low at the time, (it got much lower see pic 4 taken two weeks after the Australian Pratincole), there was still water and food due to the large amount of rain from the previous wet season (see pic 3 taken April 2017 just after the wet season) . Mankajarra has stands of Paperbark Trees (Melaleuca sp.) and other plants along the edges of the water. When the water level is high, the trees are in the water (see pic 3) and the birds have many more places to hide in and hunt from.

Notes:

This is the first time seeing this species at Mankajarra! There was approximately 20-40 birds flying around and landing for a drink. I'm wondering if they were migrating somewhere... The Australian Pratincole breeds predominantly from south-western Queensland to northern Victoria and through central Australia to the Kimberley region in Western Australia. - Wiki It resembles a small tern when it flies! Very cool little bird :)