Beach Stone-curlew
Esacus magnirostris
- Family
- Thick-knees and Stone-curlews (Burhinidae)
- Order
- Charadriiformes
Overview
The beach stone-curlew (Esacus magnirostris) or 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.
It is less strictly nocturnal than most stone-curlews, and can sometimes be seen foraging by daylight, moving slowly and deliberately, with occasional short runs. It tends to be wary and fly off into the distance ahead of the observer, employing slow, rather stiff wingbeats..
Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Range and habitat
Coasts and islets from Andaman Islands, Malayan Peninsula, southern Philippines, Indonesian Archipelago, New Guinea and satellites, northern and eastern Australia, Bismarck Archipelago (including Admiralty Islands), and Solomon Islands (except Rennell).
Range description: AviList Global Avian Checklist.
Sources and further reading
- Wikipedia: Beach stone-curlew
- eBird: sightings, maps and photos
- xeno-canto: sound recordings
- Birds of the World: full species account (subscription)
- BirdLife DataZone: status and threats
- IUCN Red List (threat status)
- AviList global checklist (taxonomy)
Last updated September 29, 2026.
