Oriental Pratincole

Oriental Pratincole (Glareola maldivarum) is a slim shorebird with long pointed wings, forked tail, short bill and chestnut underwings. Body shape, bill structure, plumage pattern and voice provide the strongest field characters. Age, sex and season may alter its appearance, so identification should combine several features and careful direct field comparisons with similar species in the same habitat (Wikipedia, general species account).

It catches insects in swift aerial flight over open wetlands and fields and nests colonially on bare ground. Its movements and social behaviour vary through the year, with breeding birds generally more dispersed and non-breeding birds gathering where food is concentrated. Japanese records place it within the country's documented avifauna as a resident, migrant or visitor (Wikipedia, general species account; Wildlife of Japan occurrence records).