Spotted Thick-knee ( Burhinus capensis, family: Burhinidae)
Birds & Birding in the Kruger National Park South Africa. In Roberts 6 this bird was called Spotted Dikkop
The Spotted Thick-knee (Latin name Burhinus capensis) is described in
Roberts Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition. This bird has a unique
Roberts number of 297 and you will find a full description of this bird
on page 387 also a picture of the Spotted Thick-knee on page 385. The
Spotted Thick-knee belongs to the family of birds classified as
Burhinidae. According to the Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African
Ornithology the Spotted Thick-knee is also known by these other names:
Spotted Stone-curlew, Dikkop, Cape Dikkop.
In the previous edition of Roberts (ie 6th edition) the Spotted Thick-knee was called the Spotted Dikkop
The map of the Kruger you see on this page shows the areas (coloured orange) where this bird has been identified. The basic information was provided by the Avian Demographic Unit based at UCT and I created the maps from that information ... the green dots show the locations of the various Kruger National Park Rest Camps
The Spotted Thick-knee is neither Endemic or near Endemic to the Kruger National Park. It is however a common resident
In terms of distribution of the Spotted Thick-knee in the Kruger National Park you may not see it in all areas. Spotted Thick-knee : see above distribution map.
Identification assistance for this avian species ...
The Spotted Thick-knee is a bird about the size of a Francolin now called Spurfowl. The height of the Spotted Thick-knee is about 43 cms and its weight is about 365 gms
The male and female Spotted Thick-knee have the same plumage and colours
- Head is brown.
- Eye is yellow.
- Bill is black.
- Throat is white.
- Back is brown.
- Legs are yellow.
This bird has long legs.
Main diet items for this bird ...
The Spotted Thick-knee feeds on the ground mainly
Invertebrates
Breeding and nesting habits for this bird ...
The Spotted Thick-knee is monogamous unless its mate dies. In the event of a partner dying Burhinus capensis will seek out a new mate
The nesting habit of Spotted Thick-knee is to create the nest on the ground. The bird lays eggs which are yellow in colour and number between 1 to 3
Habitat and flocking behaviour for this bird ...
The preferred habitats for Spotted Thick-knee are: grasslands . The Spotted Thick-knee is also at home in wetland and bushveld areas.
You will normally see the Spotted Thick-knee by itself rather than in the company of birds of the same species.
Names of this avian species in other languages ...
Xhosa ... Ingqangqolo
Zulu ... umBangaqhwa/umJenjana
Afrikaans ...Gewone Dikkop
German ... Kaptriel, Bndertriel
Portuguese ... Alcaravo do Cabo
French ... Oedicnme tachard
Dutch ... Kaapse Griel
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For in-depth birding information please refer to these authoritative avian references ...
Robert's 7th edition number ... 297
The main reference source for this data was "Roberts - Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition" . Other references were "Newmans Birds of the Kruger Park" by Keith Newman published circa 1980 . Names in foreign languages were obtained from the Percy Fitzpatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town website , www.fitzpatrick.uct.ac.za
