Beach Stone-curlew

Esacus magnirostris (Vieillot, 1818)

54–56 cmLength1 kgWeight

This large coastal bird walks slowly when foraging, occasionally breaking into a short run.

Busiest months: October · Most records: Australia, Indonesia, Timor-Leste

Near Threatened

How to identify

Field marks

Black-and-white face
Yellow eyes
Gray-brown upperparts

Voice

Gives “chwip-chwip” alarm calls to drive off intruders.

Where and when it's recorded

Beach Stone-curlew has been recorded at 48 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 7 countries and regions.

Records by month Southern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Kakadu BeachAustralia1,138 records
Cairns EsplanadeAustralia742 records
Cairns Esplanade – Northern EndAustralia285 records

More places

Buffalo CreekAustralia203 records
Bushland BeachAustralia200 records
Cairns Esplanade – Southern EndAustralia170 records
East PointAustralia152 records
Shoalhaven Heads InletAustralia132 records
Buckleys Hole Conservation Park – Buckleys HoleAustralia85 records
Pulau SeranganIndonesia77 records

Countries and regions with the most records

Australia Indonesia Timor-Leste Solomon Islands Thailand Papua New Guinea India

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The beach stone-curlew (Esacus magnirostris) or beach thick-knee is a large, ground-dwelling bird that occurs in Australasia, the islands of South-east Asia.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Beach Stone-curlew?

The Beach Stone-curlew is about 54–56 cm long and weighs around 1 kg.

Where does the Beach Stone-curlew live?

Its breeding range: Oriental, Australasia: coasts and islets of tropical eastern Indian and western Pacific oceans: Andaman Islands, Malay Peninsula and southwestern, southern Philippines, Indonesian Archipelago, New Guinea and satellites, north-central Western Australia to southeastern New South Wales (northwestern, northern, eastern Australia), Bismarck Archipelago (including Admiralty Islands), north to southeastern Solomon Islands (except Rennell). It is most often recorded in Australia, Indonesia and Timor-Leste.

When is the best time to see the Beach Stone-curlew?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in October (Southern Hemisphere).

Is the Beach Stone-curlew endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Beach Stone-curlew as Near Threatened.

What does the Beach Stone-curlew eat?

Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.

What family is the Beach Stone-curlew in?

It belongs to the family Stone-curlews, Thick-knees (Burhinidae), order Charadriiformes.

At a glance

Length: 54–56 cm
Weight: 1 kg
Habitat: Coast & tidal flats
Diet: Insects & other invertebrates
Lifestyle: Active on the ground
Migration: Partial migrant
Conservation: Near Threatened

More measurements

Wing: 271 mm
Tail: 116 mm
Bill: 76 mm
Tarsus: 89 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Oriental, Australasia: coasts and islets of tropical eastern Indian and western Pacific oceans: Andaman Islands, Malay Peninsula and southwestern, southern Philippines, Indonesian Archipelago, New Guinea and satellites, north-central Western Australia to southeastern New South Wales (northwestern, northern, eastern Australia), Bismarck Archipelago (including Admiralty Islands), north to southeastern Solomon Islands (except Rennell)

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2