Bush Stone-curlew
Burhinus grallarius
- Family
- Thick-knees and Stone-curlews (Burhinidae)
- Order
- Charadriiformes
Overview
The bush stone-curlew or bush thick-knee (Burhinus grallarius, obsolete name Burhinus magnirostris) is a large, ground-dwelling bird endemic to Australia. Its favoured habitat is open plains and woodlands, where it stalks slowly at night in search of invertebrates such as insects. Its grey-brown coloration is distinguished by dark streaks, its eyes are large and legs are long. It is capable of flight, but relies on the camouflage of its plumage to evade detection during the day; the bush curlew adopts a rigid posture when it becomes aware of an observer.
Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Range and habitat
South-central New Guinea and Australia (except south-central and Tasmania).
Range description: AviList Global Avian Checklist.
Sources and further reading
- Wikipedia: Bush 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.
