Water Thick-knee ( Burhinus vermiculatus, family: Burhinidae)
Birds & Birding in the Kruger National Park South Africa. In Roberts 6 this bird was called Water Dikkop
The Water Thick-knee (Latin name Burhinus vermiculatus) is described in
Roberts Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition. This bird has a unique
Roberts number of 298 and you will find a full description of this bird
on page 386 also a picture of the Water Thick-knee on page 385. The
Water Thick-knee belongs to the family of birds classified as
Burhinidae.
In the previous edition of Roberts (ie 6th edition) the Water Thick-knee was called the Water 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 Water 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 Water Thick-knee in the Kruger National Park you may not see it in all areas. Water Thick-knee : see above distribution map.
Identification assistance for this avian species ...
The Water Thick-knee is a bird about the size of a Francolin now called Spurfowl. The height of the Water Thick-knee is about 41 cms and its weight is about 270 gms
The male and female Water 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 grey.
This bird has normally proportioned leg length.
Main diet items for this bird ...
The Water Thick-knee feeds in or around water mainly
Invertebrates
Aquatic life forms
Breeding and nesting habits for this bird ...
The Water Thick-knee is monogamous unless its mate dies. In the event of a partner dying Burhinus vermiculatus will seek out a new mate
The nesting habit of Water Thick-knee is to create the nest on the ground. The bird lays eggs which are cream in colour and number between 1 to 3
Habitat and flocking behaviour for this bird ...
The preferred habitats for Water Thick-knee are: wetlands and riverine areas
You will normally see the Water Thick-knee in pairs or flocks and not as single birds.
Names of this avian species in other languages ...
Xhosa ... Ingqangqolo
Zulu ... Unknown
Afrikaans ...Waterdikkop
German ... Wassertriel
Portuguese ... Alcaravo-d'gua
French ... Oedicnme vermicul
Dutch ... Watergriel
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For in-depth birding information please refer to these authoritative avian references ...
Robert's 7th edition number ... 298
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