Stone Curlew

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For the group of birds known as thick-knees or stone-curlews (of which this species is a member), see stone-curlew.

Stone Curlew

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Charadriiformes
Family:	Burhinidae
Genus:	Burhinus
Species:	B. oedicnemus

Binomial name

Burhinus oedicnemus
(Linnaeus, 1758)

The Stone Curlew or Eurasian Stone-curlew Burhinus oedicnemus is a northern species of the Burhinidae (stone-curlew) bird family.

at Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India.

Stone Curlew of the Indian race, sometimes considered a separate species Burhinus indicus

It is a medium-sized wader with a strong yellow and black beak, large yellow eyes (which give it a "reptilian", or "goggle-eyed" appearance), and cryptic plumage. The scientific name refers to the prominent joints in the long yellow or greenish legs. The bird is striking in flight, with black and white wing markings.

Despite being classed as a wader, this species has a preference for dry open habitats with some bare ground. It is largely nocturnal, particularly when singing its loud wailing songs, which are reminiscent of that of curlews (possibly the cause of the name). Food consists of insects and other small invertebrates. It will also take lizards. It lays 2-3 eggs in a narrow scrape in the ground.

The stone curlew occurs throughout Europe, north Africa and southwestern Asia. It is a summer migrant in the more temperate European and Asian parts of its range, wintering in Africa.

In Egypt, the melodic song of the stone curlew is often heard at night, although the bird is almost never seen. Its song is featured in poetry, songs, and movies, such as Song of the Stone Curlew.

[edit] References

^ BirdLife International (2004). Burhinus oedicnemus. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern