Glareola pratincola

The Collared Pratincole is classified as Endangered (EN) because of its small breeding population (less than 250 adult individuals). In the previous edition of the Red Book (2002), it was classified as Critically Endangered (CR). The change in its threat category reflects the stabilization in population size during the past two decades.

Habitats	Cropland, Humid Lowlands
Presence In Israel	Summer, Migrant
Breeding In Israel	Breeder
Migration Types	Long Range
Zoographical Zones	Mediterranean, Irano-Turanian
Landscape Types	Plains & Valleys, Rural Area
Vegetation Types	Cropland
Vegetation Densities	Low
Nest Locations	Ground
Diet Types	Invertebrate
Foraging Grounds	Aerial
Body Sizes	Small (up to 500g)
Threat Factors	Pesticide Poisoning, Nest destruction by agricultural activity, Increased predation from invasive and eruptive species

The Collared Pratincole is a slender short-legged wader, with long wings, a forked tail and light floating flight reminiscent of tern flight. It is a gregarious bird that forms small flocks and feeds on insects it catches mainly in the air.

The Collared Pratincole is a rare summer breeder and a relatively common passage migrant. The present breeding population is relictual and fragmented, found in small colonies in the Hula Valley (20-30 pairs), the southern Golan Heights (5-10 pairs), the Bet She’an Valley (5-10 pairs) (Cabara et al. 2013, 2014), and occasionally in the Judean Lowlands as well (up to 5 pairs, Ezra Hada pers. comm.). It nests mainly in agricultural fields and therefore is very sensitive to cultivation methods. In the Hula Valley, there is an ongoing preservation project with local farmers. In the past it was a common summer breeder and hundreds of pairs nested in the northern and eastern valleys and on the Coastal Plain. In the 1950s, the population began to decrease sharply and by the late 1980s the species was almost completely extirpated from Israel.

The Collared Pratincole nests mainly in cultivated fields with low vegetation or in trampled grazing areas and near water bodies. Pratincoles can be seen throughout Israel during migration, in agricultural fields and near ponds and reservoirs.

Pesticides – the Collared Pratincole was severely impacted by the intensive use of insecticides, which is apparently the main reason for the sharp decline during the 1960s and 1970s.
Direct disturbance – Collared Pratincoles nest in active agricultural fields in which crops such as peanuts, corn and cotton are in their early germination stages, when there is intensive farming management that affects their breeding success.
Eruptive species – predation pressure has increased, resulting from the proliferation of eruptive predatory species such as crows, jackals and boars.

Collared Pratincole breeding colonies in the Hula Valley are monitored annually together with local farmers. Efforts are made to protect the nests and chicks.

The Collared Pratincole is a migratory species that was affected in the past by the uncontrolled use of agricultural pesticides. The present population in Israel is very small,
inhabits only a fraction of its past range. Most of the breeding colonies are in agricultural areas and susceptible to harm from cultivation. The major threat facing the species is cultivation that adversely affects nesting success.

• ישראלי, נ., לבינגר, ז., אורון, ט. והצופה, א. 2011. מיזם הגנה על קינון שדמית אדומת כנף בצפון הארץ. דו"ח לקרן דוכיפת.
• כברה, ל. 2013. קינון שדמית אדומת כנף בעמק החולה - סיכום עונת מחקר ראשונה.
• פז, ע. 1986. עופות. מתוך אלון, ע. (עורך), החי והצומח של ארץ ישראל. כרך 6. הוצאת משרד הביטחון, ישראל.

• Symes, A. 2013. Species generation lengths. Unpublished, BirdLife International.
• Species page at Birdlife International