| Stone-curlews | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Bush stone-curlew,Burhinus grallarius | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Charadriiformes |
| Suborder: | Charadrii |
| Family: | Burhinidae Mathews, 1912 |
| Genera | |
 | |
| modern range | |
Thestone-curlews, also known asdikkops orthick-knees, consist of 10 species within the familyBurhinidae, and are found throughout the tropical and temperate parts of the world, with two or more species occurring in some areas of Africa, Asia, and Australia. Despite the group being classified as waders, most species have a preference for arid or semiarid habitats.
The family Burhinidae was introduced in 1912 for the stone-curlews by Australian ornithologistGregory Mathews.[1][2] The family contains three genera:Hesperoburhinus,Burhinus andEsacus.[3] The nameBurhinus combines theAncient Greekbous meaning "ox" andrhis,rhinos meaning "nose" (or "bill").[4]
Molecular phylogenetic studies have shown that the family Burhinidae issister to aclade containing the sheathbills in the familyChionidae and theMagellanic plover in its own familyPluvianellidae. The stone-curlews are not closely related to thecurlews, genusNumenius, that belong to the sandpiper family Scolopacidae.[5]
They are medium to large birds with strong black or yellow black bills, large yellow eyes—which give them a reptilian appearance—and cryptic plumage. The names thick-knee and stone-curlew are both in common use. The term stone-curlew owes its origin to the broad similarities with true curlews. Thick-knee refers to the prominent joints in the long yellow or greenish legs and apparently originated with a name coined in 1776 forB. oedicnemus, theEurasian stone-curlew.Obviously theheel (ankle) and theknee are confused here.[6]
They are largely nocturnal, particularly when singing their loud, wailing songs, which are reminiscent of true curlews.[7] Their diet consists mainly ofinsects and other invertebrates. Larger species also take lizards and even small mammals.[7] Most species are sedentary, but the Eurasian stone-curlew is a summermigrant in the temperate European part of its range, wintering in Africa.
The earliest definitive stone-curlew isGenucrassum bransatensis from theLate Oligocene ofFrance.[8]Wilaru, described from theLate Oligocene to theEarly Miocene of Australia, was originally classified as a stone-curlew, but was subsequently argued to be a member of the extinctanseriform familyPresbyornithidae, instead.[9][10] The living species are:
| Picture | Name | Binomial name |
|---|---|---|
 | Double-striped thick-knee | Hesperoburhinus bistriatus |
%2c_crop.jpg) | Peruvian thick-knee | Hesperoburhinus superciliaris |
%2c_crop.jpg) | Eurasian stone-curlew | Burhinus oedicnemus |
.jpg) | Indian stone-curlew | Burhinus indicus |
%2c_crop.jpg) | Senegal thick-knee | Burhinus senegalensis |
 | Water thick-knee | Burhinus vermiculatus |
 | Spotted thick-knee | Burhinus capensis |
 | Bush stone-curlew | Burhinus grallarius (formerlyB. magnirostris). |
 | Great stone-curlew | Esacus recurvirostris |
 | Beach stone-curlew | Esacus magnirostris |
