Forest Birding

The Grey Pratincole was sighted by our lead Guide Johnnie Kamugisha on Kazinga Channel on November 10th 2011 at 1505 hrs.

There has only been one record (single bird) of a Grey Pratincole in East Africa at Rusizi NP, in Burundi.

Ecology  Behaviour

This species is an intra-African migrant, dispersing during the rainy season to Lake Chad, small rivers and coastal estuaries when rivers flood. It breeds during the dry season in loose colonies, with nests a few metres apart and is very gregarious when not breeding. It forages on the wing during the evening over water, grassland or woodland.

Habitat

This species shows a preference for the sandbanks of large slow-flowing rivers, and lakes in both forested and open country, but also frequents reservoirs and coastal habitats (occasionally mangroves and estuaries) in times of river flooding or high water. Diet The species is insectivorous, its diet consisting of flies, beetles, small grasshoppers and spiders. Breeding site The nest is a shallow scrape in the sand of a sandbar or on shingle, usually within 100 m of water.

Threats

This species is threatened by habitat destruction through the building of dams (the creation of Lake Volta in Ghana removed much suitable habitat and caused an exodus of the species from the country). The species is also subject to human disturbance.