Spotted Thick-knee (Burhinus capensis)
About the Spotted Thick-knee
The spotted thick-knee (Burhinus capensis), also known as the spotted dikkop or Cape thick-knee, is a wader in the family Burhinidae. It is native to tropical regions of central and southern Africa. The spotted thick-knee, which can reach up to 45.5 cm (17.9 in) in height, has long legs and brown-and-white speckled plumage which provides camouflage, making it difficult to spot the bird in the grasslands and savannas where it roams. Its head is large and round with a prominent yellow eye and a short, stout beak. When in flight or standing in a characteristic position with its wings raised, it shows a striking contrasting pattern. Its legs are long and yellow and the tibiotarsal joint is expanded, giving it the name "thick-knee".
No audio on this page yet
We only publish recordings we may use commercially, because this site is supported by ads. xeno-canto lists 52 recordings for this species: 5 CC BY-NC-ND. None of them permits commercial use, so there is no player here — the page is kept as a profile so the bird is not missing from the guide.
As soon as someone uploads a freely licensed recording, we mirror it and the player appears here.
Listed as recorded in Botswana, Kenya, Namibia, South Africa in the xeno-canto catalogue.
Related species you can hear
- Eurasian Stone-curlewBurhinus oedicnemusrecording
This species has no recording here yet — these relatives do, so you can hear what the family sounds like.