bush thick knee Page 95

Think you’ve heard a banshee in the backyard? That’s the Bush Thick-knee, a.k.a. Bush Stone-curlew (Burhinus grallarius), a nocturnal, ground-dwelling bird with outrageously long legs and an even longer wail.

It freezes like a lawn ornament by day, then stalks insects and small critters by night across much of Australia—common up north, thinner on the ground in parts of the south thanks to habitat loss and foxes.

They’re harmless, protected natives, so admire from a distance and keep dogs and cats away, especially in breeding season when they nest right on bare ground.

Figure on about 55–60 cm tall with roughly a 1 m wingspan; the name “thick-knee” nods to that knobbly leg joint, not any lack of cardio.