NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Madagascar Pratincole
Glareola ocularis J. Verreaux, 1833
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Madagascar pratincole (Glareola ocularis) is a species of bird in the family Glareolidae.
It is a migratory species, breeding across Madagascar (except in the country’s extreme south-west) before migrating to East Africa during the austral winter (May-August), where it is mainly found near the coast between Somalia and Mozambique. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland, rivers, freshwater lakes, rocky shores, and intertidal marshes; as it migrates to the coast of East Africa.
It is the rarest species in the Glareola genus, and is threatened by habitat loss.
Its breeding season lasts from October to December, peaking in November.
Wikipedia contributors, Madagascar pratincole; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:49:39.272831+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Glareola ocularis J. Verreaux, 1833
- Name authority
- J. Verreaux, 1833
- Common name
- Madagascar Pratincole
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Glareolidae
- Genus
- Glareola
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderCharadriiformes
- familyGlareolidae Brehm, 1831
- genusGlareola Brisson, 1760
- speciesGlareola ocularis J. Verreaux, 1833
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Glareola. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Little PratincoleGlareola lactea Temminck, 1820 | GlareolidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Black-winged PratincoleGlareola nordmanni Fischer von Waldheim, 1842 | GlareolidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Collared PratincoleGlareola pratincola (Linnaeus, 1766) | GlareolidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Rock PratincoleGlareola nuchalis G. R. Gray, 1849 | GlareolidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Gray PratincoleGlareola cinerea Fraser, 1843 | GlareolidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Oriental PratincoleGlareola maldivarum J. R. Forster, 1795 | GlareolidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=176776 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:3G5XF. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.