tags: Great Thick-Knees, Greater Thick-Knees, Esacus recurvirostris, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Great Thick-Knees, also known as the Greater Thick-Knees, Esacus recurvirostris, photographed on the Kosi River, Ramnagar, North India. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Adrian White [larger view].
Nikon D40x with 70-300AF.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
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Image: Adrian White, June 2010 [larger view].
Nikon D40x with 70-300AF.
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I love these birds! ...and should probably pay more attention to them.
They've always turned up their noses at me.
That's a baby Roc. You can tell from the rockseggshells.
The oversized, pale eyeball is a clue to family; the bold facial pattern a clue to the genus, which I thought was monotypic until I looked it up. It appears there are two possible species from which to choose.
I knew that somewhere along the road, there would be another Adrian opportunity for a cricket reference but I had no idea that there even was an East Surrey Cricket Umpires and Scorers Association, but I am quite familiar with silly positions or being in the slips hoping for a "thick" edge, but not on the beach!
Not really getting David Hilmy's ever so entertaining hints, but it's a Great Stone-curlew or Great Thick-knee (Esacus recurvirostris).
The closely related Beach Thick-knee (Esacus giganteus) is not found in India, AFAIK, and the black and white bands on the head are somewhat different from what we have here. The comparatively large yellow bill with black tip and lack of mottled plumage also discount the possibility of it being an Eurasian stone-curlew (Burhinus oedicnemus).
Hai~Ren,
In an earlier post, Adrian was lauding the current form of the England cricket team as they tour Bangladesh (and he is the photographer here) and it just so happens that the URL for the East Surrey Cricket Umpires and Scorers Association is actually the genus of the bird above... continuing the cricket terminology allowed me slide in "thick" and exclaiming "not on the beach" was designed to eliminate the only other possibility, the Beach Stone-culew/Thick-knee which, by the way, is recorded by Birdlife International as native and breeding in India and is confirmed by Globaltwitcher records
Looks like Esacus recurvirostris to me. Lovely photo!
David Hilmy: Ah I see. That'll teach me for trusting Mangoverde more than Wikipedia. Oops.