Australian Pratincole

Overview

Australian Pratincole (Glareola isabella) is a species of Coursers, Pratincoles (Glareolidae) in the order Shorebirds, Gulls and Alcids.

Scientific Classification

Genus: Glareola; binomial: Glareola isabella; authority: Vieillot, 1816.

Distribution

Breeding range: Australasia. Non-breeding range: to tropical open fields of Java, Sulawesi region, Lesser Sundas, c, s Moluccas and New Guinea region (except n).

Conservation Status

This taxon is listed as Extant (living) in the IOC World Bird List.

Remarks

Formerly attributed to the monotypic genus Stiltia. But despite its unique morphology, phylogenetic analyses place Australian Pratincole in a basal position within the Glareola clade and it is sometimes transferred to that genus (Cohen 2011; Černý and Natale 2022). Move to Glareola following AviList v2025.