Stone-Curlew
Burhinus oedicnemus
Also known as: Eurasian Stone-Curlew, Eurasian Thick-Knee, Torlit
Habitat
Ground
Diet
Omnivore
Active Time
Diurnal
Size
459 g
About This Species
A cryptically patterned wader of dry, stony ground, fallow fields and semi-desert across Europe, North Africa and parts of Asia, relying on camouflage and stillness to avoid detection by day. It is largely crepuscular and nocturnal, so the best chance of seeing one is at dusk, when its eerie, wailing calls carry across open ground and its large yellow eyes catch a torch or headlight beam.
Ethical Viewing Guidelines
- Move slowly and scan ahead before walking through likely habitat, since eggs and chicks are laid directly on bare ground and are extremely well camouflaged and easy to step on or flush accidentally.
- It receives legal protection in the European Union under the Birds Directive and in the UK under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, though status and enforcement vary elsewhere across its range, so treat nesting-season disturbance as something to avoid everywhere.
- Keep dogs on leads in known breeding areas during spring and early summer.
LCAvesCharadriiformesBurhinidae
Seasonal Activity
190,311 sightings · 2000–2026
Citizen science records via GBIF
All monthsThis month
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Burhinidae
Traits
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Foraging
- Ground
- Activity
- Diurnal
- Body mass
- 459 g
Photo
(c) Kudaibergen Amirekul, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Kudaibergen Amirekul
CC-BY-SA-4.0
Occurrence data from GBIF.