Birds · Charadriiformes · Burhinidae

Eurasian Stone-Curlew

Burhinus oedicnemus

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

A medium-large wader within its family, with cryptic pale brown plumage and dark streaking on the upperparts. Its eyes are large and yellow, adapted to activity at dusk and by night, and give it an unmistakable look. The legs are long and yellowish, with prominent joints.

Weight

290 g – 535 g

Size

38 cm – 46 cm

Diet

Carnivore

Feeds mainly on other animals.

Activity

Nocturnal

Active mainly at night.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

Carnivore Nocturnal Bird

49countries 72parks

Fun facts

It is the wader that breaks its order's rule: while plovers, oystercatchers and sandpipers live tied to water, the stone-curlew occupies dry steppe far from any shore.
Its huge yellow eyes are an adaptation to hunting at night, and have earned it the English name stone-curlew.
Linnaeus described it in 1758 as Charadrius oedicnemus, within the plover genus.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
Habitat & environment: Steppe and dry grassland away from water, unlike the rest of the waders, which are mostly tied to it. Also dry farmland, fallow ground and wasteland
Sexual maturity: 23.9 months

Sources consulted: IUCN Red List; Wikipedia (Burhinus oedicnemus); Catálogo de fauna protegida de la Comunidad de Madrid; Anuario Ornitológico de Albacete (especie objetivo 2016); Linnaeus 1758