page_title: Bush stone-curlew
section_title: Behaviour
hierarchical_section_title: Bush stone-curlew / Behaviour
caption_attribution_description: English: Bush Stone-curlew chicks, Burhinus grallarius
context_page_description: The bush stone-curlew or bush thick-knee is a large ground-dwelling bird endemic to Australia. The favoured habitat is open plains and woodlands, where they stalk slowly at night in search of invertebrates such as insects. The grey-brown coloration is distinguished by dark streaks, its eyes are large and legs are long. They are capable of flight, but rely on the camouflage of their plumage to evade detection during the day; the bush curlew will adopt a rigid posture when it becomes aware of an observer. Both sexes care for two eggs laid on the bare ground, usually sited near bush in a shaded position or next to a fallen branch.
context_section_description: Like most stone-curlews, it is mainly nocturnal and specialises in hunting small grassland animals: frogs, spiders, insects, molluscs, crustaceans, snakes, lizards and small mammals are all taken, mostly gleaned or probed from soft soil or rotting wood; also a few seeds or tubers, particularly in drought years. Birds usually forage individually or in pairs over a large home range, particularly on moonlit nights.
  During the day, bush stone-curlews tend to remain inactive, sheltering amongst tall grass or the shade of shrubs and trees, relying on their cryptic plumage to protect them from predators. When disturbed, they freeze motionless, often in odd-looking postures. For visual predators like raptors and humans this works well, but it serves little purpose with animals that hunt by scent such as foxes, dingoes or goannas.
  Approaching the camouflaged individual does not dissuade it from this behaviour, maintaining the rigid posture even if handled. 
  If moving from a disturbance they crouch and walk stealthily into vegetation, only attempting to fly if vigorously pursued.
  Despite their ungainly appearance and habit of freezing motionless, they are sure-footed, fast and agile on the ground, and although they seldom fly during daylight hours, they are far from clumsy in the air; flight is rapid and direct on long, broad wings.
  The bush stone-curlew is probably heard more than it is seen. Its call sounds like a wail or a scream in the night. When scared, it screeches – a sound similar to the screech of a possum. 
  A field report from Brookton, Western Australia noted that their call was heard in response to the cry of possums shot by hunters. When threatened (presumably in the presence of a nest), they may raise their wings wide and high in an impressive threat posture and emit a loud, hoarse hissing noise.
  The bush curlew is sometimes recorded in flocks. However, when the breeding season occurs, the number of birds in a locality is the usually just a mating pair. Like other ground nesting birds, the females only selects a site to lay the eggs and provides no other adornment to the nest; care of the site is performed by both parents. The brooding parent will discreetly move from the site if disturbed in the first few days of incubation, but remains to defend an egg at a later stage of development. The parent will adopt its frozen posture and lay over the eggs in an attempt to hide them. 
  An egg that has been discovered by an intruder may be moved a short distance away.
caption: Chicks in cryptic pose
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