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To the Beauty of Birds

The Cape Thick-knee, Spotted Thick-knee, Stone-curlew or Spotted Dikkop Burhinus capensis, is in the family Burhinidae of thick-knees or stone curlews.
It can reach up to 18 inches in height, has long legs and a brown-and-white speckled coat. It ranges widely through sub-Saharan Africa, where it occupies dry grasslands and savannas. The spotted thick-knee’s brown, spotted feathers provide camouflage, making it difficult to spot in the grasslands where it lives. The species hunts exclusively on the ground, feeding on insects, small mammals and lizards. It also nests on the ground. They are largely nocturnal, particularly when singing their loud wailing songs, which are reminiscent of true curlews.

Thick-knee refers to the prominent joints in the long yellow or greenish legs and apparently originated with a name coined in 1776 for B. oedicnemus, the Thick-kneed Bustard.
The spotted thick-knee, which can reach up to 18 inches in height, has long legs and brown-and-white speckled plumage which provides camouflage, making it difficult to spot the bird in the grasslands and savannas where it roams. Its head is large and round with a prominent yellow eye and a short, stout beak. When in flight or standing in a characteristic position with its wings raised, it shows a striking contrasting pattern. Its legs are long and yellow and the tibiotarsal joint is expanded giving it the name "thick-knee".

The spotted thick-knee is nocturnal and squats on the ground during the daytime making it difficult to spot. It hunts exclusively on the ground, feeding on insects, small mammals and lizards. It also nests on the ground, lining a scrape with grasses, feathers, pebbles and twigs. The female typically lays two eggs, and males and females rear the offspring together, with both bringing food back to the nest. The birds will defend the nest and adopt a defensive pose with wings spread and tail cocked and will even peck an intruder. Sometimes they will fake injuries to lead predators away from the nest.

These photos in the 4000 series were taken at the Honolulu Zoo. The others were taken at the Samburu Nature Preserve, Kenya.

Cape or Spotted Think-knee