Beach Thick-knee
Esacus magnirostris
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderCharadriiformes (Shorebirds and Allies)
- FamilyBurhinidae (Stone-curlews and Thick-knees)
- GenusEsacus (Greater Stone-curlews)
- SpeciesEsacus magnirostris (Beach Thick-knee)
About the Beach Thick-knee
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. At 55 cm (22 in) and 1 kg (2.2 lb), it is one of the world's largest shorebirds.
It is less strictly nocturnal than most stone-curlews, and can sometimes be seen foraging by daylight, moving slowly and deliberately, with occasional short runs. It tends to be wary and fly off into the distance ahead of the observer, employing slow, rather stiff wingbeats..
The beach stone-curlew is classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. In New South Wales, it is listed as critically endangered. The beach stone-curlew is a resident of undisturbed open beaches, exposed reefs, mangroves, and tidal sand or mudflats over a large range, including coastal eastern Australia as far south as far eastern Victoria, the northern Australian coast and nearby islands, New Guinea, New Caledonia, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. It is uncommon over most of its range, and rare south of Cairns.
The beach stone-curlew is 54-56 cm (21-22 in) long. At a mean of 1,032 g (2.275 lb) in males... Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Raja Ampat
Common Sandpiper
Actitis hypoleucos
Crested Tern
Thalasseus bergii
Whimbrel
Numenius phaeopus
Common Tern
Sterna hirundo
Pacific Golden-Plover
Pluvialis fulva
Bridled Tern
Onychoprion anaethetus
Red-necked Phalarope
Phalaropus lobatus
Black-naped Tern
Sterna sumatrana
Grey-tailed Tattler
Tringa brevipes
Great Knot
Calidris tenuirostris
Curlew Sandpiper
Calidris ferruginea
Little Stint
Calidris minuta
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daintree National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Bali Barat National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 3 | Ningaloo Marine Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Raja Ampat | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 5 | Kerinci Seblat National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 6 | Cape Range | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 7 | Tangkoko Nature Reserve | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 8 | Booderee National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Beach Thick-knee in Raja Ampat?
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Beach Thick-knee sighting in Raja Ampat, based on 30 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Beach Thick-knee in Raja Ampat?
March has the highest sighting rate for Beach Thick-knee in Raja Ampat in our monthly data.