Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin (ISSN 0178 – 6288) . Number 148, April 2017, pp. 1-13. | Page 2

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The Senegal Thick-Knee or Stone-Curlew (Burhinus senegalensis Swainson, 1837) in flight near
the fish ponds at Ma’agan Michael Kibbutz, near Jisr az-Zarqa, north Palestine. Photo by Chen
Rozen. 08.07.2015. http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4678028,00.html

The Senegal Thick-Knee (Burhinus senegalensis) is a Stone-Curlew, a group of
waders in the family Burhinidae (Wikipedia).
It is a resident breeder in Africa between the Sahara and the equator, and in the
Nile valley, and north Sinai.
Senegal thick-knees are medium-large waders with strong black and yellow
black bills, large yellow eyes — which give them a reptilian appearance — and
cryptic plumage. Thick-Knee refers to the prominent joints in the long yellow or
greenish legs, and apparently originated with a name coined in 1776 for Burhinus
oedicnemus, the Thick-Kneed Bustard (Lee’s Birdwatching).
The Senegal thick-knee is a quick ground bird, with long and strong legs, large
yellow eyes which allow it to be active day and night; and it is capable of
excellent camouflage. The bird is able to run at times of danger or when chasing
a prey (YNet).
They are similar but slightly smaller than the Eurasian stone-curlew (Burhinus
oedicnemus), which winters in Africa. The long dark bill, single black bar on the
Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 148 – April 2017