Bird Album
Water Thick-knee
Burhinus vermiculatus (Cabanis, 1868)
320 gWeight
The water thick-knee or water dikkop (Burhinus vermiculatus) is a species of bird in the thick-knee family Burhinidae.
Busiest months: November · Most records: South Africa, Uganda, Kenya
Where and when it's recorded
Water Thick-knee has been recorded at 293 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 23 countries and regions.
Records by month Southern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Lake Mburo NPUganda677 records
- Kruger NP – Skukuza CampSouth Africa527 records
- Kruger NP – Lake Panic Bird HideSouth Africa494 records
More places
- Chobe River – boat tripBotswana479 records
- Queen Elizabeth II NP – Kazinga Channel Boat TripUganda423 records
- Nguuni Nature SanctuaryKenya384 records
- Kruger NP – Malelane GateSouth Africa360 records
- Lake Mburo NP – Boat RideUganda333 records
- Amboseli NPKenya325 records
- Strandfontein WTPSouth Africa309 records
Countries and regions with the most records
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 water thick-knee or water dikkop (Burhinus vermiculatus) is a species of bird in the thick-knee family Burhinidae. The species is found across sub-Saharan Africa, usually close to water.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Water Thick-knee?
The Water Thick-knee weighs around 320 g.
Where does the Water Thick-knee live?
Its breeding range: Africa: inland western, central to eastern, southern Africa. It is most often recorded in South Africa, Uganda and Kenya.
When is the best time to see the Water Thick-knee?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in November (Southern Hemisphere).
Is the Water Thick-knee endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Water Thick-knee as Least Concern.
What does the Water Thick-knee eat?
Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.
What family is the Water Thick-knee in?
It belongs to the family Stone-curlews, Thick-knees (Burhinidae), order Charadriiformes.
At a glance
- Weight
- 320 g
- Habitat
- Wetland
- Diet
- Insects & other invertebrates
- Lifestyle
- Active on the ground
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 196 mm
- Tail
- 105 mm
- Bill
- 43 mm
- Tarsus
- 73 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Africa: inland western, central to eastern, southern Africa
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Stone-curlews, Thick-knees Burhinidae
- Genus
- Burhinus
Other birds in the genus Burhinus
Spotted Thick-kneeBurhinus capensis
Bush Stone-curlewBurhinus grallarius
Eurasian Stone-curlewBurhinus oedicnemus
Indian Stone-curlewBurhinus indicus
Senegal Thick-kneeBurhinus senegalensis
Double-striped Thick-kneeHesperoburhinus bistriatus
Peruvian Thick-kneeHesperoburhinus superciliaris
Great Stone-curlewEsacus recurvirostris
Beach Stone-curlewEsacus magnirostris
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Nancy Christensen. ↗
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