Senegal Thick-knee
Burhinus senegalensis
Very large shorebird that is similar to Eurasian and Water Thick-knees, but with a longer and heavier bill. Also note the gray mid-wing panel without a black-and-white upper border. Immature Eurasian Thick-knees can also have a simpler wing pattern similar to Senegal, and identification of those birds best determined by structure and habitat. More connected to aquatic habitats than Eurasian Thick-knee, but not as much as Water Thick-Knee. Noisy, especially at night, producing a variety of loud whistles and trills.
Identification
Senegal thick-knees are medium-large waders with strong black and yellow black bills, large yellow eyes — which give them a reptilian appearance — and cryptic plumage. They are similar but slightly smaller than the Eurasian stone-curlew, which winters in Africa. The long dark bill, single black bar on the folded wing, and darker cheek stripe are distinctions from the European species. Senegal thick-knee is striking in flight, with a broad white wing bar.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Burhinus senegalensis
- Authority
- (Swainson, 1837)
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Burhinidae
- Genus
- Burhinus
Range and habitat
It is a resident breeder in Africa between the Sahara and the equator, and in the Nile valley.
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- unknown
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Tundra Swan
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Range-restricted, gray-and-red spinetail. Found in bamboo and other dense, tangly undergrowth in secondary forest in parts of the Andean foothills of Peru, Bolivia, and adjacent lowlands. Browner than the similar Dark-breasted Spinetail, which has a gray face and underparts. Darker and more reddish on the upperparts and crown than other similar species like Plain-crowned and Pale-breasted Spinetails. Forages singly or in pairs in the undergrowth. Listen for its call: a nasal “nyeck-nyeck.”
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