Small pratincole
Nayachar, Katwa,West Bengal
We all know how cute this bird is. As a winter migrant, it flies over in huge flocks and starts living on sandbanks of rivers or coastal areas. When they are flying around, you will see a black spiral wave moving like bees in the sky. Soon, they land again on the ground. To observe this cute little bird up close, you have to crawl to gain their trust. You won’t believe how close you can get to them and take pictures. If the sandbank is by the riverside, it gets wet and compact. But if they find a coastal area where the sandbank is dry, they dig into it and rest under the sun. This behavior also provides great camouflage, as they remain still to protect themselves from predators. In the second picture, you can see how only their heads are visible.
