Water Thick-knee, flipped & cropped

Description:

The Water thick-knee is a plover-like bird with a length of about 40 cm and a wingspan of about 200 cm when fully grown. It is found in the wetter eastern parts of Southern Africa. They are generally found along rivers or at dams, lakes, swamps or on beaches, where they feed on termites, insects, molluscs, small fish, and crustaceans. They are mainly nocturnal or crepuscular but may be quite vocal in full daylight, calling with a mournful “ti-ti-ti”. Although they can fly strongly, they seem to prefer to run than to fly when disturbed. The scientific name for the Water thick-knee is Burhinus vermiculatus; “Burhinus” from the Greek meaning a huge nose and “vermiculatus” from the Latin for vermiculated (which, in simple English means “decorated with wormlike tracery or markings”). According to its name, then, a bird with a large beak and which is decorated with wormlike tracery or markings. Info. from The Wilkinson's World of Adventure website.