Eurasian thick-knee
Burhinus oedicnemus
g_kolotin · Astrakhan'
Key facts in one look
- Size
- 38–46 cm; wingspan 76–88 cm; 290–535 g
- Diet
- Insects, invertebrates, sometimes lizards and rodents
- Status in Georgia
- Breeder and migrant
- Habitat
- Dry steppe, semi-desert
- Family
- Burhinidae
- Conservation
- LC (2018); Georgia LC (2021); Red List 2014: VU
The Eurasian thick-knee is a wader that needs no water: it prefers dry, open ground with patches of bare earth. Its large yellow eyes help it hunt at night. By day it presses flat to the ground, and its plumage blends in so well that it is almost invisible. In Georgia it is a breeding bird and a migrant. It has been seen in spring in Kakheti, around Dedoplistskaro, and in autumn on the Black Sea coast during migration. It is not dangerous to people. In spring, keep dogs on a lead on the steppe: it lays its eggs straight on the ground.
Identification
Eurasian thick-knee: how to identify it
A crow-sized, big-headed wader with long yellow legs and large yellow eyes. Its plumage is sandy-grey and mottled, and in flight a black-and-white wing pattern shows. The leg joint is noticeably thick.
Length 38–46 cm, wingspan 76–88 cm, weight 290–535 g. The head is large, and the wings and tail fairly long. The legs are strong and yellow, with three short toes.
The eyes are large and yellow, ringed with black: they give the face a "reptilian", goggle-eyed look. The bill is strong, yellow and black.
The upperparts are rusty-grey with dark brown streaks, the underparts yellowish-white. The flight and tail feathers are black, and in flight the black-and-white wing pattern shows clearly. A bird lying still on the ground may go unnoticed.
Colour
Swatches are illustrative. Do not identify a species by colour alone.
It lives in dry, open country with sparse vegetation and some bare ground: steppes, semi-deserts and forest-steppe. It belongs to the waders but is not tied to water. It occurs in Europe, North Africa and south-west Asia. In Georgia it has been seen in May in Kakheti around Dedoplistskaro, and photographed around Vashlovani and Chachuna. In autumn, in September–October, migrating birds have been seen on the coast of Samegrelo and Adjara, and its flight calls have been recorded at night over Sakhalvasho. In September 2025 one was photographed in Kazbegi Municipality. These are single sightings and do not yet outline its range.
The Eurasian thick-knee map combines public iNaturalist observations. Regions are taken from the records-by-region table, and the status column separates regions with enough records from regions with too few records. Record counts reflect observation effort rather than population density. No region has enough records yet.
Data: Reptiles.ge + iNaturalist · Methodology
- Field observation
- Region with records
It feeds mainly on insects and other small invertebrates, such as snails. Sometimes it also takes small reptiles, frogs and rodents. It hunts on the ground, mostly at night, and its large eyes help it find food in the dark.
It is mainly nocturnal. At night it gives loud, wailing calls that sound like a curlew's. At that time it runs about and moves easily in the air. By day it presses flat to the ground and becomes almost invisible. In the temperate zone it is a summer migrant and winters in Africa. The nest is a scrape in the ground in the open. It usually lays 2 eggs, sometimes 1–3. Both parents incubate for 24–26 days. The chicks leave the nest soon after hatching, and the parents care for them for 36–42 days. If the eggs are lost, it lays again. Near the nest it attacks predators in dives, giving harsh, grating cries.
On the IUCN Red List the Eurasian thick-knee is Least Concern (LC, 2018). Even so, it is declining in some countries because of agricultural intensification: in France it fell by 26% over 14 years. The European population is estimated at 46,000–78,000 birds. The 2014 Red List of Georgia includes it as Vulnerable (VU), on the grounds that it is vulnerable in Europe. In the 2021 national assessment it is Least Concern (LC) in Georgia, with a stable trend. It is also in the Red Data Book of Russia.
Related guides
Continue with related pages
It breeds in Georgia and winters in Africa. It has been seen in May in Kakheti around Dedoplistskaro. In autumn, in September–October, migrating birds have been seen on the coast of Samegrelo and Adjara, and in September 2025 one was seen in Kazbegi Municipality. These are single sightings, so its exact range in the country is not yet clear.
Its leg joint is noticeably thick, and the scientific name oedicnemus, "swollen shin", refers to the same feature. Its large, yellow, black-ringed eyes also catch the eye and give it a goggle-eyed look. The Georgian name თვალჭყეტია points to these eyes.
It is active mainly at night. By day it presses flat to the ground and its mottled plumage blends into the surroundings. You are more likely to hear its wailing night calls than to see the bird itself.
Mainly insects and other small invertebrates. Sometimes it also takes small reptiles, frogs and rodents. It hunts on the ground, mostly at night.
It lays its eggs, usually 2, in a scrape in the ground in the open. Both parents incubate for 24–26 days. The chicks soon leave the nest, and the parents care for them for 36–42 days. Walk carefully on the steppe in spring and keep dogs on a lead.
The 2014 Red List of Georgia includes it as Vulnerable (VU). In the 2021 national assessment it is no longer threatened in Georgia (LC). Globally it is Least Concern (LC, 2018). It is not dangerous to people.
References
What this profile is based on
Species profiles are compiled from peer-reviewed literature and established biodiversity databases, and are reviewed as new taxonomic and conservation data become available.
Prepared by the Reptiles.ge editorial team from the sources listed here.
