9

Beach Stone-curlew (Esacus neglectus) Alternate name(s): "Beach Thick-knee", "Reef Thick-knee" Aboriginal name(s): "a-rabinyi", "a-wurrwin" [yanyuwa] Size: 54-56 cm Body mass: 0.9-1.1 kg

Australia: Family Group 9 Family Group 9 Table Comb-crested Jacana Pheasant-tailed Jacana Bush Stone-curlew Beach Stone-curlew Banded Stilt Black-winged Stilt Red-necked Avocet Australian Pratincole Oriental Pratincole South Island Oystercatcher Australian Pied Oystercatcher Sooty Oystercatcher Pacific Golden Plover Grey Plover Little Ringed Plover Kentish Plover Red-capped Plover Double-banded Plover Semipalmated Plover Siberian Sand Plover Greater Sand Plover Oriental Plover Inland Dotterel Black-fronted Dotterel Red-kneed Dotterel Hooded Plover Masked Lapwing Banded Lapwing Thumbnails page Family group table Index of bird names Habitat pages Key plants Birds home page

Similar species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Beach Stone-curlews are big shorebirds. Their plumage is cryptic. The head is black, except for a white supercilium and throat, while the rest of the upperparts (neck, mantle, wings and tail) are brownish dark-grey. Chest, belly and vent are white. The upperwings have black patches surrounded by a thin white fringe. The big eyes have prominent yellow irises. The bill is very big and black, with a yellow base on the upper mandible, while the long legs and feet are yellow.

Taxonomy, classification See Beach Stone-curlew at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Beach Stone-curlew is available HERE . The range of Beach Stone-curlews extends from the Andaman Islands in the West, via southern Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, islands of eastern Indonesia and New Guinea, to the Solomon Islands in the East. They are also found around much of the coastal fringe of Australia. Beach Stone-curlews populate the entire northern coastline of the Australian continent, from about Exmouth, WA, all the way through to QLD and into northern NSW, to about the Manning River estuary. Occasionally, they go as far down the Australian East coast as Marengo Beach, near Cape Otway, which is the southern tip of the Victorian coastline. They are not found anywhere inland. Beach Stone-curlews are crepuscular. Most of the day they hide in dense coastal scrub, from which they emerge around sunset. They hunt for prey along beaches and coastal mudflats, wherever they can catch mud crabs. Where to look? How to find this species? The best way to find Beach Stone-curlews is to walk onto a beach in late afternoon and wait for sunset. If half-meter tall birds with a long neck and a strong bill strut quietly onto the scene out of dense (often banksia-dominated) scrub, they will be Beach Stone-curlews. The birds are shy and will not permit being approached.

Sightings Click here for sighting information A family of Beach Stone-curlews was first found by us in a salt marsh near the mouth of the Manning River, close to Old Bar, NSW, in June 2011. Up to three birds were spotted, most likely a pair with one chick. A. Morris's help with these observations is greatly appreciated. Subsequently Beach Stone-curlews were seen by us again at the same location at various times. A single, banded Beach Stone-curlew was spotted by us in the mudflat at the Urunga board walk, Urunga Heads, in March 2015. M. Eaton reports spotting a Beach Stone-curlew at the same location in July 2017. M. Eaton reports finding a Beach Stone-curlew (in this case one with a damaged foot) at Inskip Point, QLD, in December 2017, and at Brunswick Heads, NSW, in January 2019. More Beach Stone-curlews were found at Stanage Bay, QLD, in July 2021. J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours reports spotting a Beach Stone-curlew at the Esplanade, Cairns, QLD, in August 2020. Various contributors report finding Beach Stone-curlews occasionally on beaches in and around Darwin, NT.

Photos

ADULT

PAIR

Near-frontal view of a pair of Beach Stone-curlews (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Lee Point, Darwin, NT, October 2019]

Two Beach Stone-curlews close together (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Brunswick Heads, NSW, January 2019]

Two Beach Stone-curlews close together (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Brunswick Heads, NSW, January 2019]

Pair of Beach Stone-curlews (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Lee Point Beach, Darwin, NT, July 2019]

Two Beach Stone-curlews on a mudflat (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Newell Beach, QLD, December 2018]

Sex unknown

Frontal view of a Beach Stone-curlew (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Lee Point Beach, Darwin, NT, July 2019]

Frontal view of a Beach Stone-curlew; this is the bird whose calls were recorded on 23 January 2019
(photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Casuarina Coastal Reserve, Darwin, NT, January 2019]

Frontal view of a Beach Stone-curlew (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Brunswick Heads, NSW, January 2019]

Near-frontal view of a Beach Stone-curlew; this is the bird whose calls were recorded on 23 January 2019
(photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Casuarina Coastal Reserve, Darwin, NT, January 2019]

Near-frontal view of a Beach Stone-curlew (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Brunswick Heads, NSW, January 2019]

Near-lateral view of a Beach Stone-curlew (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Brunswick Heads, NSW, January 2019]

Close-up lateral portrait of a Beach Stone-curlew (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Inskip Point, QLD, December 2017]

Close-up lateral portrait of a Beach Stone-curlew, slightly different angle (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Inskip Point, QLD, December 2017]

Lateral view of a Beach Stone-curlew (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Brunswick Heads, NSW, January 2019]

Lateral view of a Beach Stone-curlew (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Lee Point, Darwin, NT, October 2019]

Lateral view of a Beach Stone-curlew; this is the bird whose calls were recorded on 23 January 2019
(photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Casuarina Coastal Reserve, Darwin, NT, January 2019]

Close-up lateral view of a Beach Stone-curlew (photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Esplanade, Cairns, QLD, August 2020]

Near-dorsal view of a Beach Stone-curlew (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Inskip Point, QLD, December 2017]

Lateral view of a Beach Stone-curlew in flight (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Darwin, NT, December 2015]

Lateral view of a Beach Stone-curlew in flight; different phase of the wing beat (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Darwin, NT, December 2015]

Lateral view of a Beach Stone-curlew in flight, wings up (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Nightcliff, Darwin, NT, November 2020]

Lateral view of a Beach Stone-curlew in flight, wings up (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Nightcliff, Darwin, NT, November 2020]

Lateral view of a Beach Stone-curlew in flight, wings straight (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Nightcliff, Darwin, NT, November 2020]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Family of Beach Stone-curlews in an intertidal wetland (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[East Point, Darwin, January 2021]

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Territorial

Mobility: Sedentary/dispersive

Elementary unit: Solitary/pair

Lateral view of a Beach Stone-curlew trying to impress the competition (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Buffalo Creek, Darwin, NT, July 2018]

Dorsal view of a Beach Stone-curlew trying to impress the competition (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Buffalo Creek, Darwin, NT, July 2018]

Food, Diet

(Amongst other things) Beach Stone-curlews feed on crustacians.

Lateral view of a Beach Stone-curlew with its prey (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Cairns Esplanade, QLD, August 2023]

Lateral view of a Beach Stone-curlew with its prey (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Newell Beach, QLD, December 2018]

Dorsal view of a Beach Stone-curlew with its prey, a salt crab (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Newell Beach, QLD, December 2018]

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

bestcrl_pb_20210706.m4a	(Darwin, NT)	Alarm calls (human)	© PB
bestcrl_pb_20190123.m4a	(Darwin, NT)	Various	© PB

More Beach Stone-curlew sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

Would you like to contribute photos or sound recordings to this site? If interested, please CLICK HERE. Credits to contributors are given HERE.