Spotted Thick-knee
| Spotted Thick-knee | |
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| At the Frankfurt Zoo, Germany | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Charadriiformes |
| Family: | Burhinidae |
| Genus: | Burhinus |
| Species: | B. capensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Burhinus capensis (Lichtenstein, 1823) |
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The Spotted Thick-knee, Burhinus capensis, also known as the Spotted Dikkop or Cape Thick-knee, is a stone-curlew in the family Burhinidae.
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[edit] Description
The spotted thick-knee, which 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 dikkop's brown, spotted feathers provide camouflage, making it difficult to spot in the grasslands where it lives.[1]
The species 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 offspring together, with both bringing food back to the nest. The birds will even fake injuries to lead predators away from the nest. [1]
[edit] Gallery
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At the National Aviary
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In the Serengeti ecosystem
[edit] References
- BirdLife International (2004). Burhinus capensis. 2006. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. www.iucnredlist.org. Retrieved on 1 October 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
[edit] External links
- BirdLife Species Factsheet
- Cape Thick-knees videos on the Internet Bird Collection
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