Small Pratincole

Small Pratincole

Glareola lactea

Silhouette: Cristian Gutierrez-Ibanez · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Guwahati

In 3 days <5%

6 Verified sightings at Guwahati
536 In all 10 parks From 2019 to 2026
January Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Small Pratincole

The small pratincole, little pratincole, or small Indian pratincole (Glareola lactea) is a small wader in the pratincole family, Glareolidae. The small pratincole is a resident breeder in India, Western Pakistan, Bangladesh, Burma, Laos, Cambodia, Sri Lanka and Thailand. It breeds from December to March on gravel or sand banks near rivers and lakes, laying 2–4 eggs in a ground scrape. Breeding areas include small areas in northern Karnataka (manvi district raichur and along the Hemavathi River) and northern Kerala near Kannur.

This species is only 16.5–18.5 cm (6.5–7.3 in) in length, with a 42–48 cm (17–19 in) wingspan. Because of its small size, the small pratincole can be briefly confused in flight with swifts or swallows. This bird has short legs, long pointed wings and a short tail. Its short bill is an adaptation to aerial feeding. On the ground, it looks mainly pale grey (hence lactea, milky). The crown of the head is brown.

The wings are grey above with black primaries and black and white bars at the rear edge of the inner flight feathers. The underwings are mainly black. The tail is white with a black terminal triangle. The belly is white... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Flight call0:08

Malaysia · 2026

© Lim Ying Hien 林勇贤 · XC1082734 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Call0:42

Laos · 2024

© Bram Piot · XC883929 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call0:17

India · 2018

© Peter Boesman · XC426576 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Chitwan National Park 🇳🇵 Nepal
~10%
2 Satpura National Park 🇮🇳 India
~10%
3 Yala National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
<5%
4 Nagarhole National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
5 Manas National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
6 Keoladeo National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
7 Ranthambore National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
8 Jim Corbett National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
9 Kaeng Krachan National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
<5%
10 Kaziranga National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Phnom Penh 🇰🇭 Cambodia
<5%
2 Agra 🇮🇳 India
<5%
3 Thrissur 🇮🇳 India
<5%
4 Bhopal 🇮🇳 India
<5%
5 Ponnani 🇮🇳 India
<5%
6 Kollam 🇮🇳 India
<5%
7 Guwahati 🇮🇳 India
<5%
8 Thiruvananthapuram 🇮🇳 India
<5%
9 Kochi 🇮🇳 India
<5%
10 Kozhikode 🇮🇳 India
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Small Pratincole in Guwahati?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Small Pratincole sighting in Guwahati on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 170th most-seen of the 185 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Small Pratincole in Guwahati?

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Small Pratincole in Guwahati on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

What time of day is best to see a Small Pratincole?

Between 8 and 11 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Small Pratincole sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Guwahati the best place to see a Small Pratincole?

Among the best

Of the 12 cities where we can rate Small Pratincole sightings, Guwahati ranks 7th at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Phnom Penh (Cambodia, under 5%), Agra (India, under 5%) and Thrissur (India, under 5%).

Which relatives of the Small Pratincole live in Guwahati?

Same order: Charadriiformes

The closest relatives of the Small Pratincole that you can see in Guwahati (order Charadriiformes, Shorebirds and Allies) are Bronze-winged Jacana (about 20%), Red-wattled Lapwing (about 10%) and Green Sandpiper (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Small Pratincole sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Small Pratincole is recorded against all the birds logged in Guwahati (6 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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