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9

Bush Stone-curlew (Burhinus grallarius) Alternate name(s): "Bush Thick-knee", "Stone-plover", "Curlew", "Southern Stone-curlew", "Scrub Curlew" Aboriginal name(s): "buruhlgan"/"buyuhlgan"/"buruwagan"/"buwagan"/"buyargan" [bundjalung]; "kuRiwiRp' [tjapwurrung]; "wilo", "kwil" (WA); "willaroo", "moolyerra" Size: 55-60 cm Weight: 530-860 g

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Similar species

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

Physical description Click here for a physical description Bush Stone-curlews are big waders that are also found inland. Their plumage is highly cryptic. Apart from a white "eyebrow", the base of the bill, throat, belly and vent (which are all white), the entire plumage is mottled in various shades of grey with a brownish tinge. The irises are yellow, the bill is dull black and the long legs and feet are grey. Bush Stone-curlews in the northern Australian arid country have adapted their plumage to the predominant red soil in changing the colour to a more rufous-grey hue for better camouflage.

Taxonomy, classification See Bush 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 Bush Stone-curlew is available HERE . Bush Stone-curlews are found only in Australia, islands along the Torres Strait and the southern part of New Guinea. Bush Stone-curlews are declining in numbers due to loss of habitat. They are now found mostly along the Australian East coast and the Great Dividing Range and in the South-West corner of WA. They are less common in the rest of the tropical North of Australia and the rest of the western half of WA. Rarely found further inland in NSW, QLD and the NT and the Kimberley in WA. They are not found in most of SA, the eastern half of WA, South of the Kimberley, the far South coast of VIC and Tasmania. Historical records from the 1940ies show that at the time Bush Stone-curlews were also found on the northern fringe of the Nullarbor, in SA.

Sightings Click here for sighting information L. Tonnochy reports seeing Bush Stone-curlews regularly in a garden 20 km West of Townsville, QLD, where they have been found breeding e.g. in October 2012. We have not yet spotted Bush Stone-curlews in the wild in northern inland NSW yet, but heard a bird's call near Maules Creek, NSW, in April 2009. J. Ross-Taylor reports spotting a pair with two chicks in Southport, Gold Coast, QLD, in November 2014. J. Greaves reports spotting Bush Stone-curlews at Alyangula, Groote Eylandt, NT, in September 2014. Bush Stone-curlews have been reported to us by various contributors from various locations in and around Darwin, NT, where they have been found repeatedly nesting in leaf litter in suburban parks and gardens. M. Eaton reports spotting Bush Stone-curlews in the Botanical Gardens, Brisbane, QLD, in June 2017 and again in January 2023. Another was found at Anstead Reserve, Anstead, QLD, in February 2022. R. Russell sees Bush Stone-curlews semi-regularly at Mount Molloy, QLD. M. Mearns found Bush Stone-curlews at Home Hill, QLD, in September 2019. V. Collins reports finding Bush Stone-curlews at Burleigh Heads, QLD, in April 2018 and again in April 2019, when they had a clutch of 3 chicks. C. Pears encountered Bush Stone-curlews at the Desert Park, Alice Springs, NT, in August 2016. Another pair was found at the Mirage Golf Course in Port Douglas, QLD, in September 2018.

Photos

Rufous morphology

ADULT

PAIR

Close-up lateral view of a pair of Bush Stone-curlews (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Anstead, QLD, December 2017]

Lateral view of a pair of Bush Stone-curlews protecting their two chicks (photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[Home Hill, QLD, September 2019]

Pair of Bush Stone-curlews at their nest (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Casuarina Coastal Reserve, Darwin, NT, January 2017]

Sex unknown

Close-up full-frontal view of an adult Bush Stone-curlew (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Botanical Gardens, Brisbane, June 2017]

Frontal view of an adult Bush Stone-curlew (photo courtesy of L. Tonnochy)
[Near Townsville, QLD, September 2012]

Near-frontal view of a Bush Stone-curlew (photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[Port Douglas, QLD, May 2022]

Near-frontal view of a Bush Stone-curlew (photo courtesy of L. Tonnochy)
[Near Townsville, QLD, September 2012]

Close-up lateral portrait of a Bush Stone-curlew (photo courtesy of R. Russell)
[Mount Molloy, QLD, April 2012]

Close-up lateral portrait of a Bush Stone-curlew (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Anstead, QLD, March 2018]

Close-up lateral view of a Bush Stone-curlew (photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[Yunbenun [Magnetic Island], off Townsville, QLD, November 2021]

Lateral view of a Bush Stone-curlew (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Lee Point, Darwin, NT, August 2020]

Lateral view of a Bush Stone-curlew resting on the ground (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Botanical Gardens, Brisbane, June 2017]

Lateral view of a Bush Stone-curlew resting on the ground (photo courtesy of L. Tonnochy)
[Near Townsville, QLD, September 2012]

Lateral view of a Bush Stone-curlew ducking for cover (photo courtesy of J. Ross-Taylor)
[Southport, Gold Coast, QLD, November 2014]

Close-up look at a Bush Stone-curlew's three-toed feet (photo courtesy of R. Russell)
[Mount Molloy, QLD, April 2012]

Note the resting technique of this Bush Stone-curlew (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Anstead, QLD, March 2018]

Dorsal view of a Bush Stone-curlew (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Anstead Reserve, Anstead, QLD, February 2022]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Near-dorsal view of a juvenile Bush Stone-curlew (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Campus of Charles Darwin University, Darwin, NT, December 2020]

"Happy family" - two adult Bush Stone-curlews with a juvenile (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Anstead, QLD, March 2018]

Resting juvenile Bush Stone-curlew (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Anstead, QLD, March 2018]

One month old Bush Stone-curlew posing as a log (photo courtesy of D. Johnston)
[Allamaggoola Creek near Gulargambone, NSW, November 1980]

Bush Stone-curlew protecting its chick (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Darwin, NT, August 2017]

Lateral view of a Bush Stone-curlew chick ducking for cover (photo courtesy of J. Ross-Taylor)
[Southport, Gold Coast, QLD, November 2014]

Grey morphology

ADULT

Near-dorsal view of a Bush Stone-curlew, showing part of the bird's back (photo courtesy of L. Tonnochy)
[Near Townsville, QLD, September 2012]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Bush Stone-curlew chicks following their parents (photo courtesy of L. Tonnochy)
[Near Townsville, QLD, October 2012]

Close-up lateral view of a Bush Stone-curlew chick (photo courtesy of L. Tonnochy)
[Near Townsville, QLD, October 2012]

Lateral view of two Bush Stone-curlew chicks (photo courtesy of L. Tonnochy)

Bush Stone-curlew chicks using their camouflage colours to hide (photo courtesy of L. Tonnochy)
[Near Townsville, QLD, October 2012]

Two Bush Stone-curlew chicks at an age of only a few days (photo courtesy of L. Tonnochy)
[Near Townsville, QLD, October 2012]

Breeding information

Breeding season: Aug - Feb

Eggs: 2

Incubation period: 28 - 30 days

Fledging age: ca. 50 days

Given the right conditions Bush Stone-curlews can breed any time of the year.

The young are "precocial", which means that they leave the nest almost immediately after every chick has hatched (which can be within hours of the last chick hatching). They follow their parents, who lead them away and show them how to feed themselves. The chicks do not return to the nest.

Nest building: ?

Incubation: Female & male

Dependent care: Female & male

Nest

"bungobittah", "lar", "malunna", "jindi" [bundjalung] = nest [Aboriginal]

Type: Scrape

Material: Bare soil

Height above ground: N/A

This Bush Stone-curlew, by adopting its defensive/threatening posture, clearly gave an indication that it had something to hide... (photo courtesy of R. Russell)
[Mount Molloy, QLD, December 2007]

... which was its nest with two hatchlings inside (photo courtesy of R. Russell)
[Mount Molloy, QLD, December 2007]

Bush Stone-curlew nest, which is just a scrape (photo courtesy of L. Tonnochy)
[Near Townsville, QLD, October 2012]

Bush Stone-curlew nest, with a pair of sunglasses for size comparison (photo courtesy of L. Tonnochy)
[Near Townsville, QLD, October 2012]

Bush Stone-curlew nest, with a pair of sunglasses for size comparison; when far away, one will not stand a chance to find the nest (photo courtesy of L. Tonnochy)
[Near Townsville, QLD, October 2012]

Bush Stone-curlew defending its nest (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Casuarina Coastal Reserve, Darwin, NT, January 2017]

Eggs

"boyanga", "booyanga", "derinya", "dirandil", "koomura", "mirk", "ngampu", "nooluk", "pateena", "pum-pum" = Egg; "dirundirri" = eggs [Aboriginal]; "gawu" = eggs [gamilaraay]

Size: 59 x 39 mm

Colour: Mottled greyish-brown

Shape: Tapered oval

Close-up view of a Bush Stone-curlew nest with two eggs (photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[Yunbenun [Magnetic Island], off Townsville, QLD, November 2021]

Bush Stone-curlew nest with two eggs in it (photo courtesy of L. Tonnochy)
[Near Townsville, QLD, September 2012]

Bush Stone-curlew nest with two eggs in it (photo courtesy of D. Johnston)
[Allamaggoola Creek near Gulargambone, NSW, September 1980]

Bush Stone-curlew nest with two eggs in it (photo courtesy of D. Johnston)
[Allamaggoola Creek near Gulargambone, NSW, September 1980]

Adult Bush Stone-curlew at its nest near a fence line (photo courtesy of D. Johnston)
[Allamaggoola Creek near Gulargambone, NSW, September 1980]

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Territorial

Mobility: Sedentary/dispersive

Elementary unit: Pair

Bush Stone-curlews defend themselves and their nests by posturing, but they are completely harmless (and have no spurs on their wings).

Posturing Bush Stone-curlew, frontal view (photo courtesy of L. Tonnochy)
[Near Townsville, QLD, September 2012]

Posturing Bush Stone-curlew, frontal view (photo courtesy of L. Tonnochy)
[Near Townsville, QLD, October 2012]

Posturing Bush Stone-curlew, dorsal view (photo courtesy of L. Tonnochy)
[Near Townsville, QLD, October 2012]

Bush Stone-curlews using their camouflage colours and a cryptic posture to hide (photo courtesy of R. Russell)
[Mount Molloy, QLD, December 2012]

Bush Stone-curlews rely heavily on the efficiency of their cryptic plumage for camouflage, even when/if the colour pattern does not quite fit (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Leanyer Swamp, Darwin, NT, December 2020]

Bush Stone-curlews can be quite smart - here one seen about to enter a building... (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Darwin, NT, August 2018]

... but it is not known to us whether staff inside were prepared to answer the bird's question: "How many eggs should I have in my next clutch?" (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Darwin, NT, August 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.

bustcrl_pb_20211111.m4a	(Darwin, NT)	Contact calls	© PB
bustcrl_pb_20230505.mp3	(Darwin, NT)	Various (4-5 interacting)	© PB
bustcrl_pb_20230505_2.mp3	(Darwin, NT)	Various (4-5 interacting)	© PB
bustcrl_pb_20230122.mp3	(Darwin, NT)	Various (4-5 interacting)	© PB

More Bush 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.

Disclaimer: Comments are always welcome. We give no guarantee that the information presented on these pages is always correct or up-to-date. External links are marked as such and we take no responsibility for the contents of external pages. All images on this site are protected by copyright & used by permission of the respective owners. If you wish to reproduce them or any of the material presented on this web site, please contact us: We hereby acknowledge the original custodians of the land which is described on these pages, including the Gomeroi/Gamilaraay people of the North-west Slopes and Plains of NSW, and the traditional owners of other lands and nations within this country. We acknowledge elders past, present and emerging. Sovereignty was never ceded.          Last updated: Sat, 6 May 2023, 5:20 +00:00