Stone-curlew

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Stone-curlews
Temporal range: Late Oligocene to present
Bush Stone-curlew444.jpg
Bush stone-curlew, Burhinus grallarius
Scientific classification
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Burhinidae

Mathews, 1912
Genera

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The stone-curlews, also known as dikkops or thick-knees, consist of nine species within the family Burhinidae, and are found throughout the tropical and temperate parts of the world, with two species found in Australia. Despite the group being classified as waders, most species have a preference for arid or semi-arid habitats.

Description

They are medium to large birds with strong black or yellow black bills, large yellow eyes—which give them a reptilian appearance—and cryptic plumage. The names thick-knee and stone-curlew are both in common use, the preference among authorities for one term or the other varying from year to year. The term stone-curlew owes its origin to the broad similarities with true curlews (which are not closely related). Thick-knee refers to the prominent joints in the long yellow or greenish legs and apparently originated with a name coined in 1776 for B. oedicnemus, the Eurasian stone-curlew. Obviously the heel (ankle) and the knee are confused here.[1]

Behaviour

They are largely nocturnal, particularly when singing their loud wailing songs, which are reminiscent of true curlews.[2] The diet consists mainly of insects and other invertebrates. Larger species will also take lizards and even small mammals.[2] Most species are sedentary, but the Eurasian stone-curlew is a summer migrant in the temperate European part of its range, wintering in Africa.

Species

A fossil species, Wilaru telfordi, has been described from the Late Oligocene to the Early Miocene of Australia. The ten living species are:

Picture Name Binomial name
Burhinus oedicnemus0.jpg Eurasian stone-curlew Burhinus oedicnemus
100px Indian stone-curlew Burhinus indicus
Burhinus senegalensis.jpg Senegal thick-knee Burhinus senegalensis
Waterdikkop-crop.jpg Water thick-knee Burhinus vermiculatus
Cape Thick-knee at the Henry Doorly Zoo, Omaha, Nebraska (2006-09-30).jpg Spotted thick-knee Burhinus capensis
Double-striped Thick-knee.jpg Double-striped thick-knee Burhinus bistriatus
Peruvian Thick-knee (Burhinus superciliaris).jpg Peruvian thick-knee Burhinus superciliaris
Bush Stone-curlew.jpg Bush stone-curlew Burhinus grallarius (formerly B. magnirostris, the bush thick-knee).
Thimindu 2009 09 27 Yala Great Stone Curlew 2.JPG Great stone-curlew Esacus recurvirostris
Beach Thick-knee Inskip Pt2.JPG Beach stone-curlew Esacus magnirostris

References

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External links