Stone Curlew (Burhinus oedicnemus) 5-4-17
[order] Charadriiformes | [family] Burhinidae | [latin] Burhinus oedicnemus | [UK] Stone-curlew - Thick-Knee | [FR] Oedicnème criard | [DE] Triel | [ES] Alcaraván Común | [IT] Occhione comune | [NL] Griel
spanwidth min.: 76 cm
spanwidth max.: 88 cm
size min.: 38 cm
size max.: 45 cm
Breeding
incubation min.: 24 days
incubation max.: 27 days
fledging min.: 36 days
fledging max.: 42 days
broods 1
eggs min.: 1
eggs max.: 3
Physical characteristics
A nocturnal species, the eyes of the stone curlew are large, enabling this bird to spot prey in dim light. The bill is small and slender to snap up insects from the ground. The light buff and grey coat, streaked with dark brown and black and white provide ideal camouflage in dry, open terrain. It prefers to run fast on its long, sturdy yellow legs rather than flying. It has a habit of freezing still when alarmed, which makes it a difficult bird to spot.
Habitat
Stone curlews prefer to breed on very short, grazed, often sparsely-vegetated calcareous or acid grasslands. They also nest in late spring-sown arable crops on suitable soils where the clutches and chicks are vulnerable to farming operations.
Other details
Burhinus oedicnemus is a widespread but patchily distributed breeder in much of the southern half of Europe, which accounts for less than half of its global breeding range. Its European breeding population is relatively small (30%) overall.
This bird with crepuscular and nocturnal habits is breeding in a major part of northern Africa, Europe - northwards to 55°N - and south-western Asia. The birds from the Mediterranean regions are sedentary. Those breeding farther north winter in the south as far as sub-Saharan Africa. Since the second half of last century, this species of dry heaths, calcareous or acid dry grasslands and sand-dunes is declining. Its breeding area is contracting, and it has been extirpated from several regions. The total population of the European Union is currently estimated at 30000-50000 breeding pairs
Feeding
Ground dwelling insects and larvae including large beetles, grasshoppers, crickets, earwigs, flies, moths, caterpillars. Also earthworms, slugs, snails, frogs, small lizards, mice, voles and birds' eggs.
Conservation
This species has a large range, with an estimated global Extent of Occurrence of 1,000,000-10,000,000 km2. It has a large global population estimated to be 140,000-330,000 individuals1. The status of the European population (46,000-78,000 pairs, occupying 25-49% of the global breeding range) was recently reassessed, and following a large decline in Europe during 1970-19902, the species continued to decline during 1990-2000, when up to 20% of birds were lost and several national extinctions occurred. Overall, declines in Europe exceeded 30% over three generations (27 years)3. However, there is no evidence of declines elsewhere in its global range, and incomplete data from Central Asia and southern Russia suggests that there the species is stable or increasing in places4. The species is therefore not believed to approach the thresholds for the population decline criterion of the IUCN Red List (i.e. declining more than 30% in ten years or three generations). For these reasons, the species is evaluated as Least Concern. [conservation status from birdlife.org]
Breeding
Some stone curlews are already paired when they reach breeding sites in spring. The rest pair up after courtship displays in which the male bows deeply and touches the ground with his bill, his fanned tail held high in the air. They leap into the air, wings beating, and run around, calling loudly. They nest in a scrape in an open position where 2 eggs are laid, pale in colour with dark speckles on. They are incubated by both the male and female for 24- 26 days.
Migration
North European and Central Asian populations migrate in autumn to South Europe, Middle East and beyond into Africa. Populations of Iberia, North Africa, India and South East Asia are resident. North African breeders sometimes move South beyond Sahara, but normal extent of migration poorly known. Canary Islands birds remain within the island group, but sometimes move from island to island. In Britain the small population arrives in mid-March from Southern Europe. Most birds have left there by the end of October.
Stone Curlew (Burhinus oedicnemus) 5-4-17
[order] Charadriiformes | [family] Burhinidae | [latin] Burhinus oedicnemus | [UK] Stone-curlew - Thick-Knee | [FR] Oedicnème criard | [DE] Triel | [ES] Alcaraván Común | [IT] Occhione comune | [NL] Griel
spanwidth min.: 76 cm
spanwidth max.: 88 cm
size min.: 38 cm
size max.: 45 cm
Breeding
incubation min.: 24 days
incubation max.: 27 days
fledging min.: 36 days
fledging max.: 42 days
broods 1
eggs min.: 1
eggs max.: 3
Physical characteristics
A nocturnal species, the eyes of the stone curlew are large, enabling this bird to spot prey in dim light. The bill is small and slender to snap up insects from the ground. The light buff and grey coat, streaked with dark brown and black and white provide ideal camouflage in dry, open terrain. It prefers to run fast on its long, sturdy yellow legs rather than flying. It has a habit of freezing still when alarmed, which makes it a difficult bird to spot.
Habitat
Stone curlews prefer to breed on very short, grazed, often sparsely-vegetated calcareous or acid grasslands. They also nest in late spring-sown arable crops on suitable soils where the clutches and chicks are vulnerable to farming operations.
Other details
Burhinus oedicnemus is a widespread but patchily distributed breeder in much of the southern half of Europe, which accounts for less than half of its global breeding range. Its European breeding population is relatively small (30%) overall.
This bird with crepuscular and nocturnal habits is breeding in a major part of northern Africa, Europe - northwards to 55°N - and south-western Asia. The birds from the Mediterranean regions are sedentary. Those breeding farther north winter in the south as far as sub-Saharan Africa. Since the second half of last century, this species of dry heaths, calcareous or acid dry grasslands and sand-dunes is declining. Its breeding area is contracting, and it has been extirpated from several regions. The total population of the European Union is currently estimated at 30000-50000 breeding pairs
Feeding
Ground dwelling insects and larvae including large beetles, grasshoppers, crickets, earwigs, flies, moths, caterpillars. Also earthworms, slugs, snails, frogs, small lizards, mice, voles and birds' eggs.
Conservation
This species has a large range, with an estimated global Extent of Occurrence of 1,000,000-10,000,000 km2. It has a large global population estimated to be 140,000-330,000 individuals1. The status of the European population (46,000-78,000 pairs, occupying 25-49% of the global breeding range) was recently reassessed, and following a large decline in Europe during 1970-19902, the species continued to decline during 1990-2000, when up to 20% of birds were lost and several national extinctions occurred. Overall, declines in Europe exceeded 30% over three generations (27 years)3. However, there is no evidence of declines elsewhere in its global range, and incomplete data from Central Asia and southern Russia suggests that there the species is stable or increasing in places4. The species is therefore not believed to approach the thresholds for the population decline criterion of the IUCN Red List (i.e. declining more than 30% in ten years or three generations). For these reasons, the species is evaluated as Least Concern. [conservation status from birdlife.org]
Breeding
Some stone curlews are already paired when they reach breeding sites in spring. The rest pair up after courtship displays in which the male bows deeply and touches the ground with his bill, his fanned tail held high in the air. They leap into the air, wings beating, and run around, calling loudly. They nest in a scrape in an open position where 2 eggs are laid, pale in colour with dark speckles on. They are incubated by both the male and female for 24- 26 days.
Migration
North European and Central Asian populations migrate in autumn to South Europe, Middle East and beyond into Africa. Populations of Iberia, North Africa, India and South East Asia are resident. North African breeders sometimes move South beyond Sahara, but normal extent of migration poorly known. Canary Islands birds remain within the island group, but sometimes move from island to island. In Britain the small population arrives in mid-March from Southern Europe. Most birds have left there by the end of October.