Oriental Pratincole, a bird variety considered among rare species have been spotted in Udaipur wetlands nearly after three decades. The bird also known as the Grasshopper-Bird or Swallow-Plover is a wader in the pratincole family, Glareolidae.

In a recent session of bird watching wild life photographer Vijendra Prakash Parmar, Uttam Pagu and Anil Rogers spotted the bird at a wetland in Ghasa, Mavli area. It was in 1980 when the bird was spotted last in Udaipur by ornithologist Dr Raza Tehsin.

Grasshopper birds could be seen in good numbers then but gradually with the degradation of their natural habitats and extension of urban boundaries, the sighting of this species eventually declined and they weren’t seen for thirty years, Rogers said. Most unusual feature of the pratincoles is that although classed as waders they typically hunt their insect prey on the wing like swallows, although they can also feed on the ground.These are birds of open country, and are often seen near water in the evening, hawking for insects.

These pratincoles are found in warmer parts of south and East Asia, breeding from Northern Pakistan and the Kashmir region across into China and south west. Their 2-3 eggs are laid on the ground. They are migratory, wintering in India and Pakistan, Indonesia and Australasia.

By Geetha Sunil Pillai