Spotted Thick-Knee
Burhinus capensis
Stony grassland. Large yellow eyes; yellow bill with black tip; long yellow legs. Above buffy; heavily streaked and spotted dark brown; below white, chest streaked blackish.
Thick-Knees
LC
Not Endemic
Description
Common resident. Distinguished from [Water Thick-Knee] by heavily spotted upper parts, no wing-bar and habitat preference. Most vocal on moonlit nights, flying about restlessly and calling a shrill, eerie ‘chwee-chwee, chwee-chwee, chwee, chwee, chwee, tiu-tiu-tiu…’, trailing off at the end. Pairs frequent dry, rocky ground with short grass, open fields and open areas within woodland; frequently in little-developed urban areas. Rests by day under bushes or among rocks, running off with lowered head if disturbed.
Quick Facts
Size
44 cm - L
Names
A: Gewone Dikkop
Z: umBangaqhwa
Ss: Kgwadira
G: Kaptriel, Bändertriel
Bird Family
Lapwing-like birds with large heads and eyes, long legs, feet without a hind claw and tawny coloration. They normally walk with short, mincing steps. Nocturnal and crepuscular, they spend the daytime resting in a concealed location. The name ‘Thick-knee' is misleading; the term refers to the thickened tibio-tarsal joints, which are, in fact, not knees, but a bird's equivalent of ankle joints.
Distribution
Gallery
Behaviour
Breeding
Habitat
Distinguished from [Water Thick-Knee] by heavily spotted upper parts, no wing-bar and habitat preference. Pairs frequent dry, rocky ground with short grass, open fields and open areas within woodland; frequently in little-developed urban areas.
