Bush Stone-curlew vs Indian Stone-curlew

Bush Stone-curlew

Burhinus grallarius

Large648 gWoodland

A species of Burhinus, a genus of large-eyed and long-legged terrestrial foragers known as thick-knees, it is slender in form and a grey and brown colour with distinctive markings. The bird has conspicuous dark streaks over the buff and greyish white feathers of the upperparts and spotted markings on the wings. The plumage at lower side of the bird is also strongly streaked with dark brown over white and buff feathers. The total length of the species, including a bill around 45 mm and tail 180 mm, is 550 mm; the wingspan approaches 1 m across. Voice: This stone-curlew's voice is loud and can be heard at a great distance. The call of "weeloo" has an eerie and plaintive tone and is a familiar sound of the night in the Australian bush. The frequency of calls increases when weather conditions are changing, especially when rain is approaching an area.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: JJ Harrison (https://www.jjharrison.com.au/) · CC BY 3.0

Indian Stone-curlew

Burhinus indicus

Large307 gGrassland

This stocky and brown ground bird with large eyes is about 41 centimeters in length. It has dark streaks on a sandy brown ground colour and is plover-like. The large head has a dark stripe bordering a creamy moustachial stripe below the eye. There is also a narrow creamy supercilium. The legs are stout and the knees are thick, giving them the group of name of "thick-knee". They have large yellow eyes. The sexes are alike and the immature is paler than adult with more marked buff and streaks on the underparts.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Bernard Gagnon · CC BY 4.0

Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Bush Stone-curlew and Indian Stone-curlew.