Beach Stone-curlew

Esacus magnirostris

Thick-knees and Stone-curlews · Charadriiformes · Rare

The Beach Stone-curlew (Esacus magnirostris) is a rare thick-knees and stone-curlew found in 11 countries, weighing about 1.0 kg. The beach stone-curlew also known as beach thick-knee is a large, ground-dwelling bird that occurs in Australasia, the islands of South-east Asia.

Near ThreatenedRareEats invertebratescoastalscrape nest1.0 kg

About the Beach Stone-curlew

The beach stone-curlew also known as beach thick-knee is a large, ground-dwelling bird that occurs in Australasia, the islands of South-east Asia. At 55 cm (22 in) and 1 kg (2.2 lb), it is one of the world's largest shorebirds.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

How to identify it

The beach stone-curlew is 54-56 cm (21-22 in) long. At a mean of 1,032 g (2.275 lb) in males and 1,000 g (2.2 lb) in females, it is the heaviest living member of the Charadriiformes outside of the gull and skua families. They have black and white face patterning, yellow eyes and a grey-brown upper body. Voice: As an alarm, the bird will make a chwip-chwip to ward creatures away from their territory.

Where it lives

When to see it

The Beach Stone-curlew can be seen all year round, with peak activity in October. It is a resident species across most of its range.

Easily confused with

Quick questions

How do you identify a Beach Stone-curlew?
The beach stone-curlew is 54-56 cm (21-22 in) long. Full identification notes are on this page.
How big is a Beach Stone-curlew?
The Beach Stone-curlew is a large sized bird weighing about 1.0 kg.
Where can you see a Beach Stone-curlew?
The Beach Stone-curlew occurs in 11 countries, including Australia, Indonesia, India, Thailand and Timor-Leste.
What birds look similar to a Beach Stone-curlew?
The Beach Stone-curlew is most easily confused with the Great Stone-curlew.
Is the Beach Stone-curlew endangered?
The Beach Stone-curlew is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List.

Learn the Beach Stone-curlew for real

BeakBrain drills you on photos and calls until you can greet this bird by name in the field. Free to play, on any device.

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