Indian Stone-curlew
Burhinus indicus
The Indian Stone-curlew (Burhinus indicus) is a uncommon thick-knees and stone-curlew found in 10 countries, weighing about 307 g. The Indian stone-curlew or Indian thick-knee is a species of bird in the family Burhinidae.
About the Indian Stone-curlew
The Indian stone-curlew or Indian thick-knee is a species of bird in the family Burhinidae. It was formerly included as a subspecies of the Eurasian stone-curlew. This species is found in the plains of South and South-eastern Asia. They have large eyes and are brown with streaks and pale marks making it hard to spot against the background of soils and rocks. Mostly active in the dark, they produce calls similar to the true curlews, giving them their names.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
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.
Where it lives
When to see it
The Indian Stone-curlew can be seen all year round, with peak activity in February. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify an Indian Stone-curlew?
- This stocky and brown ground bird with large eyes is about 41 centimeters in length. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is an Indian Stone-curlew?
- The Indian Stone-curlew is a large sized bird weighing about 307 g.
- Where can you see an Indian Stone-curlew?
- The Indian Stone-curlew occurs in 10 countries, including India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Nepal and Bangladesh.
- What birds look similar to an Indian Stone-curlew?
- The Indian Stone-curlew is most easily confused with the Senegal Thick-knee, the Bush Stone-curlew and the Water Thick-knee.
- Is the Indian Stone-curlew endangered?
- The Indian Stone-curlew is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Indian Stone-curlew for real
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