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Books about Coursers and Pratincoles

Coursers & Pratincoles

The Glareolidae family includes coursers, pratincoles and the Egyptian Plover. Members of the family are found in Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. There are 17 species:

Australian Pratincole
Stiltia isabella

Black-winged Pratincole
Glareola nordmanni

Collared Pratincole
Glareola pratincola

Grey Pratincole
Glareola cinerea

Madagascar Pratincole
Glareola ocularis

Oriental Pratincole
Glareola maldivarum

Rock Pratincole
Glareola nuchalis

Small Pratincole
Glareola lactea

Burchell's Courser
Cursorius rufus

Cream-coloured Courser
Cursorius cursor

Heuglin's Courser
Rhinoptilus cinctus

Indian Courser
Cursorius coromandelius

Jerdon's Courser
Rhinoptilus bitorquatus

Temminck's Courser
Cursorius temminckii

Two-banded Courser
Rhinoptilus africanus

Violet-tipped Courser (Bronze-winged courser)
Rhinoptilus chalcopterus

Egyptian Plover
Pluvianus aegyptius

Nocturnal Birds of Southern Africa

John Carlyon

2012

"Nocturnal Birds of Southern Africa brings the largely unseen world of night birds to the reader in the pages of this authoritative photographic guide, the first to cover the full spectrum of these attractive but elusive creatures in the region in detail. The 300-plus pages of this attractive and colourful hardcover book are richly illustrated with nearly 400 high-quality photographs and illustrations, most of which have not previously been published. Photography is by John Carlyon and Penny Meakin, with additional photography by several leading bird photographers. This expansive portfolio of images covers all important aspects of typical adults, nests, eggs or nestlings, juveniles and habitats for each species discussed. Text is informative and clearly written, unencumbered with technical jargon or data. Introductory chapters discuss this group of birds in general terms in the southern African context. The species accounts, covering owls, nightjars, the Bat Hawk, night herons, thick-knees and coursers as well as partially nocturnal birds in the southern African subregion, summarise current knowledge of these birds in an easily readable style."

Shorebirds of the Northern Hemisphere

Richard Chandler

Christopher Helm

2009

"Shorebirds are a very popular group of birds among birders of all standards, though their identification is often a challenge. Covering all the species of the northern hemisphere, this new photographic guide provides all the information a birder will need at a glance. Lavishly illustrated with colour photography by the author, Shorebirds of the Northern Hemisphere focuses on specific and subspecific separation and on ageing to provide a complete identification resource."

International Single Species Action Plan for the Conservation of the Black-winged Pratincole Glareola nordmanni

AEWA

2004

Prepared with financial support from the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature Management and Fisheries, The Netherlands

From the summary: "The Black-winged Pratincole breeds mainly in the steppe and desert belt of Eurasia from Romania and Ukraine in the west to the Russian part of the Altai and to Kazakhstan in the east. It winters in Africa south of the Sahara desert. Migration through the Middle East countries such as Turkey, Iran, Iraq, etc. is probably transit/flyover, and takes place at high altitudes; as a result the Black-winged Pratincole is seldom recorded in this region. Population decline of the Black-winged Pratincole started in the end of 19th century, and became more evident in the second half of the 20th century. In recent years, starting from the 1980s-1990s, a marked population decline again took place: in 10 years numbers decreased by half or two thirds. Currently the total population of the Black-winged Pratincole is unlikely to exceed 10,000-15,000 pairs."

Nomadic Desert Birds

W.R.J. Dean

Springer

2003

"There are two basic strategies for coping with life in the desert. The first involves withstanding the extreme conditions using behavioural or physiological tactics. The second strategy is to be a migrant and to opportunistically or seasonally move to where the necessary resources are. Nomadism, i.e. the opportunistic and irregular movements from resource-poor to resource-rich patches, is a tactic that birds, with their mobility, can use, and it is explored by W.R.J. Dean in this volume."

Handbook of the Birds of the World, Vol. 3: Hoatzin to Auks

Edited by Josep Del Hoyo, Andrew Elliott and Jordi Sargatal

Lynx Edicions

1996

821 pages, 60 colour plates, colour photos, distribution maps.

This volume covers 30 families including cranes, bustards, rails, gulls, terns, waders and auks.

Handbook of Australian, New Zealand, and Antarctic Birds: Volume 3: Snipe to Pigeons

Editor: P. J. Higgins

Oxford University Press

1996

"HANZAB is one of the world's major ornithological projects, and the first two volumes have attracted both critical praise and an international market. Volume 3 covers 129 species - the pratincoles, migratory waders and shore-birds, skuas, gulls and terns, and pigeons and doves. Many of the birds are virtually cosmopolitan in their distribution and are familiar to ornithologists throughout the world; such as the migratory waders which travel thousands of kilometres each year from their breeding grounds in the northern hemisphere to spend the southern winter in Australia and New Zealand. Information is presented in sections covering field identification, habitat, distribution and population, movements, food, social organization, social behaviour, voice, breeding, and plumages. Each account has a full list of references and black-and-white illustrations of behavioural postures and plumage features, maps showing breeding and non-breeding distribution, sonograms of calls and songs, and diagrams of timing of breeding and moulting."

Ecophysiology of Desert Birds

Gordon Lindsay Maclean

Springer

1995

"The scientific study of birds in arid regions has been conducted more or less intensively for about 40 years. This is an appropriate time to draw together the threads of the diverse research on birds living in such an extreme environment. Topics include: Desert Avifaunas; Food and Energy; Drinking; Water Regulation; Thermoregulation; Timing of Breeding; and Ecology of Breeding."

Breeding Biology Of The Egyptian Plover, Pluvianus aegyptius

Thomas R Howell

University of California Press

1979