Burhinus senegalensis
Silhouette: Auckland Museum · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
The Senegal thick-knee (Burhinus senegalensis) is a stone-curlew, a group of waders in the family Burhinidae. Their vernacular scientific name refers to the prominent joints in the long yellow or greenish legs. It is a resident breeder in Africa between the Sahara and the equator, and in the Nile valley.
Senegal thick-knees are medium-large waders with strong black and yellow black bills, large yellow eyes — which give them a reptilian appearance — and cryptic plumage. They are similar but slightly smaller than the Eurasian stone-curlew, which winters in Africa. The long dark bill, single black bar on the folded wing, and darker cheek stripe are distinctions from the European species. Senegal thick-knee is striking in flight, with a broad white wing bar.
This species has a preference for dry open habitats with some bare ground, preferably near water. It lays two blotchy light brown eggs on a ground scrape. It is most active at dawn and dusk. The song is a loud pi-pi-pi-pi-pi-pi-pi.
Food is insects, crustaceans and other invertebrates. It will also take other small prey. The field characters... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Niokolo-Koba National Park | 🇸🇳 Senegal | |
| 2 | Murchison Falls National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 3 | Awash National Park | 🇪🇹 Ethiopia | |
| 4 | Virunga National Park | 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo | |
| 5 | Lake Mburo National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 6 | Queen Elizabeth National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Senegal Thick-knee sighting in Awash National Park on a given day, based on 11 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 150th most-seen of the 217 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Senegal Thick-knee in Awash National Park on a given day, against under 5% in July and November–December, the lowest months. That is one of Awash National Park's wettest months, with about 75 mm of rain against 10 mm in January. February–March, May and September have too few records to rate.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Senegal Thick-knee sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 6
Of the 6 parks where we can rate Senegal Thick-knee sightings, Awash National Park ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in Niokolo-Koba National Park (Senegal, about 50%) and Murchison Falls National Park (Uganda, about 20%).
Same order: Charadriiformes
The closest relatives of the Senegal Thick-knee that you can see in Awash National Park (order Charadriiformes, Shorebirds and Allies) are Spur-winged Lapwing (about 50%), Common Sandpiper (about 40%) and Crowned Lapwing (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Senegal Thick-knee is recorded against all the birds logged in Awash National Park (11 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
