Spotted Thick-knee Burhinus capensis Spotted Dikkop

Spotted Thick-knee Burhinus capensis
(aka Spotted Dikkop)

Tono Dam, Ghana
June 2011

The Spotted Thick-knee is distributed in the more arid areas of Africa south of the Sahara. See the distribution map at Birdlife International. It is found in dry, open woodland and other arid areas.

It is the largest and tallest of the African Thick-knees and is the only one not to have a bar or panel on the wing.

It feeds mainly at night on insects, small amphibians, crustaceans and some seeds. During the day it rests on stony ground in the open where it is well camouflaged (see photo 5) or under a shrub.

A common vocalisation is a series of plaintive whistles rising in pitch and volume and then falling away.

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