Adults: Upperparts, grey-brown, with black streaks. Underparts, buff-white, strongly streaked. Shoulder patch, whitish. Eyestripe, black passing through to neck. Eyebrow, pale buff. Forehead, buff. Bill, black, and medium length. Eye, large and yellow. Bill, black.
Other Names (World)
Bush Thick-knee, Bush Stone-curlew, Bush Curlew, Southern Stone-curlew, Stone-plover, Australian Dikkop, Land Curlew, Bridled Plover, Weeloo, Wilaroo
Australia (B) (NB), Indonesia (B) (NB), Papua New Guinea (B) (NB).
Northern and southern Western Australia through Northern Territory to Queensland, then south to south-eastern South Australia and Victoria; also Trans-Fly area of southern New Guinea.
Population
Estimated population is 10,000 - 19,999 (2010) and decreasing.
Status LC
Predation by the introduced Red Fox Vulpes vulpes, habitat clearance for agriculture and urban development, habitat degradation by pastoralism, and removal of fallen timber from habitat remnants are the main threats.
For more information see BirdLife International Species Factsheet.
Habits
Singly or in pairs, but also in small groups outside of the breeding season.
Food
Insects, molluscs, centipedes, crustaceans, spiders, frogs, lizards and snakes. Also some vegetable matter and seeds.
Voice
An eerie, drawn out, mournful, 'wee-ier, wee-ieer, whee-ieeeer, whiee-ieeer-loo'. Calls often issued at night.
Bush Stone-curlew (Burhinus grallarius) [XC383183]
by James Lambert from Old Mill Dam, Dryandra Woodland, Western Australia, Australia (song)
Bush Stone-curlew (Burhinus grallarius) [XC539213]
by James Lambert from Belgian Gardens, Townsville City, Queensland, Australia (call, song)
Nest
None. The eggs are laid directly on the bare ground or in a small depression in grass.
Eggs (Guide)
2; light stone to buff, spotted and blotched with shades of brown; oblong-oval; about 59 x 39 mm. Incubation: 28 - 30 days; by both sexes.
Young
Precocial, nidifugous. Brooded by both parents, the male possibly taking the greater share.
Subspecies
Sometimes divided into three susbpecies, with recognition of rufescens (north-western and north-central Australia) and ramsayi (northern Queensland), but these forms are poorly marked and species probably more realistically treated as polymorphic.
The Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Pizzey, G., and Knight, E., 1997, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 19691 5
Field Guide to Australian Birds Morecombe, M., 2000, Steve Parish Publishing Pty Ltd. ISBN 1 876282 10 X
Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Simpson, K., and Day, N., 1999, 6th Edition, Viking ISBN 0 670 87918 5
Reader's Digest Complete Book of Australian Birds 1988, 2nd Edition, Reader's Digest ISBN 0 949819 99 9
What Bird is That? 1984, Revised Edition, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 14846 5
Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds 1990 - , Oxford University Press, Melbourne ISBN 0 19 553244 9
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BirdLife International Species Factsheet