Eurasian stone-curlew

Eurasian stone-curlew

Eurasian thick-knee, Stone-curlew

Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Family
Genus
SPECIES
Burhinus oedicnemus

The Eurasian stone-curlew, Eurasian thick-knee, or simply stone-curlew (Burhinus oedicnemus ) is a northern species of the Burhinidae (stone-curlew) bird family.

Appearance

It is a fairly large wader though is mid-sized by the standards of its family. Length ranges from 38 to 46 cm (15 to 18 in), wingspan from 76 to 88 cm (30 to 35 in) and weight from 290 to 535 g (10.2 to 18.9 oz). with a strong yellow and black beak, large yellow eyes (which give it a "reptilian", or "goggle-eyed" appearance), and cryptic plumage. The bird is striking in flight, with black and white wing markings.

Eurasian stone-curlew habitat map

Habits and Lifestyle

It is largely nocturnal, particularly when singing its loud wailing songs, which are reminiscent of that of curlews. Food consists of insects and other small invertebrates, and occasionally small reptiles, frogs and rodents.

Seasonal behavior
Bird's call

Diet and Nutrition

Mating Habits

Eurasian stone-curlews probably first breed when they are three years old. The eggs are laid at two day intervals in a scrape on open ground. The clutch normally consists of 2 eggs which are on average 54 mm × 38 mm (2.1 in × 1.5 in). The eggs are pale buff and are variably spotted, streaked or blotched with brown or purple grey. Both sexes incubate the eggs beginning after the last egg is laid. The eggs hatch after 24–26 days. The precocial young leave the nest soon after hatching and are then cared for by both parents for 36–42 days. Normally only a single brood is raised each year but a replacement clutch is laid after the loss of eggs or the loss of small young.

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The maximum recorded age recorded from ring-recovery data within the British Isles is 22 years and 4 months for a bird ringed as a nestling in Suffolk in 1990 and caught again in Suffolk in 2012.

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Population

Population number

Although categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as of Least Concern, some populations are showing declines due to agricultural intensification. For example, a French population has declined with 26% over 14 years.

References

1. Eurasian stone-curlew Wikipedia article - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurasian_stone-curlew
2. Eurasian stone-curlew on The IUCN Red List site - https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/45111439/132038252
3. Xeno-canto bird call - https://xeno-canto.org/707833

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