Great Thick-knee

Esacus recurvirostris

An odd-looking wader with a dark mask, staring pale eyes, and a large heavy bill. Flashing black-and-white wingtips, revealed in flight, recall those of lapwings. Found on the banks of flowing rivers and lakes with rocky or sandy shores. Usually seen standing still on shore, though can be quite shy, often flushing even at a distance. No similar species in its range and habitat; Beach Thick-Knee is similar, but is found on coastal beaches, mudflats, and exposed reefs. Gives clear, high-pitched “tleeeeLIK!”, often repeated when alarmed.

识别特征

The great thick-knee is a large wader at 49–55 cm, and has a massive 7 cm bill with the lower mandible with a sharp angle giving it an upturned appearance. It has unstreaked grey-brown upperparts and breast, with rest of the underparts whitish. The face has a striking black and white pattern, and the bill is black with a yellow base. The eyes are bright yellow and the legs a duller greenish-yellow. In flight, the great thick-knee shows black and white flight feathers on the upperwing, and a mainly white underwing. Sexes are similar, but young birds are slightly paler than adults.

分类信息

The great stone-curlew was formally described in 1829 by the French naturalist Georges Cuvier and given the binomial name Oedicnemus recurvirostris. The type locality is Nepal. The specific epithet recurvirostris combines Latin recurvis meaning "bent backwards" with -rostris meaning "-billed". The species is now placed in the genus Esacus that was introduced in 1831 to accommodate the great stone-curlew by the French naturalist René Lesson. The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised.

学名
Esacus recurvirostris
命名信息
(Cuvier, 1829)
Charadriiformes
Burhinidae
Esacus

分布与栖息地

迁徙
Resident species

行为

This species prefers gravel banks along rivers or large lakes, and also beaches. It is mainly nocturnal or crepuscular like other stone-curlews, but can frequently be seen foraging during the day, moving slowly and deliberately, with occasional short runs. It tends to be wary and flies off into the distance ahead of the observer, employing powerful, rather stiff wingbeats. The call is a wailing whistle, given mainly at night, as with other birds in this family. The great thick-knee eats crabs, large insects, and other animal prey. A single egg is laid in a bare scrape on the open shingle.

保护状况

种群趋势
declining

照片

分布

鸟叫声

其他鸟类

Pale-billed Sicklebill

Pale-billed Sicklebill

Drepanornis bruijnii

A large, long-billed bird of lowland forest. Brown upperparts with black head and grayish facial skin behind the eye. Note the curved, pale bill. Male has a black throat, sides and two small, hornlike tufts on the head. Female has pale underparts with dark barring. Similar to female Twelve-wired Bird-of-Paradise and Magnificent Riflebird, but female Pale-billed Sicklebill has a longer, thinner, more curved bill. One of several vocalizations, a descending series of low whistles, reminiscent of Common Potoo.

Laggar Falcon

Laggar Falcon

Falco jugger

A large, slender falcon with long wings that nearly reach its tail tip when perched. It has a rusty crown above a thin white brow that can connect to its pale forecrown, above a bold dark eye-stripe that extends to the nape. The moustachial stripe sometimes seems to have a break at the gape line. Upperparts mostly brown; white underparts can be streaked at the breast and solid brown at the thighs. A species of open, arid country that preys mainly on birds.

Spotted Owlet

Spotted Owlet

Athene brama

A small uncrested owl with a round head and a short tail. It is grayish-brown overall with white spots above while its underparts are white with brown bars. Note the distinctive white eyebrows and neck-band. Often active at dawn and dusk when it utters a loud “chirurr-chirurr-chirurr” laugh in addition to a variety of high-pitched squeals and whistles. Inhabits all kinds of open habitats but avoids dense forest and wetter regions.

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