The atypical Egyptian plover (Pluvianus aegyptius), traditionally placed in this family, is now known to be only distantly related (basal of clade Charadrii).

They have a buoyant flight that allows them the unusual (for the order) hunting technique of taking their insect prey on the wing like swallows.

The pratincoles and coursers have an Old World distribution, occurring in southern Europe, Asia, Africa (including Madagascar), and Australia.

[2] The fossil genera and species are: The coursers are typically found in open and arid environments such as deserts and scrub.

The migration, which can measure 10,000 km (6,200 mi) in distance, is often undertaken as a single non-stop flight and is flown at high altitude.

Coursers are exclusively terrestrial, and feed in a plover-like fashion, running, then stopping to scan for prey before moving on.