Burhinus vermiculatus
Silhouette: Auckland Museum · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The water thick-knee or water dikkop (Burhinus vermiculatus) is a species of bird in the thick-knee family Burhinidae. The species is found across sub-Saharan Africa, usually close to water. The water thick-knee has a widespread distribution in sub-Saharan Africa, being found in Angola, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Somalia, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Across its range it is found on the edges of lakes, estuaries and rivers, as well as mangroves and also some sheltered beaches. It also needs bushes or nearby woodlands for shelter. It is found from sea-level to 1,800 m (5,900 ft).
There are two accepted subspecies: Burhinus vermiculatus vermiculatus — Democratic Republic of Congo to Somalia and South Africa Burhinus vermiculatus buettikoferi (Reichenow, 1898) — Liberia to Gabon The water thick-knee is 38 to 41 cm (15–16 in) and weighs 293–320 g (10.3–11.3 oz). It has a heavy... Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mombasa | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 2 | Dar es-Salaam | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 3 | Zanzibar City | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 4 | Cape Town | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 5 | Kampala | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 6 | Durban | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 7 | Nairobi | 🇰🇪 Kenya |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | World of Birds Wildlife Sanctuary and Monkey Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Water Thick-knee sighting in Durban on a given day, based on 39 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 115th most-seen of the 219 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December to February
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Water Thick-knee in Durban on a given day, against under 5% in March to November, the lowest months. Those are among Durban's wettest months, with about 200 mm of rain a month against 25 mm in June.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Water Thick-knee sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
6th of 7
Of the 7 cities where we can rate Water Thick-knee sightings, Durban ranks 6th at under 5%. The best odds are in Mombasa (Kenya, about 60%), Dar es-Salaam (Tanzania, about 40%) and Zanzibar City (Tanzania, about 30%).
Same order: Charadriiformes
The closest relatives of the Water Thick-knee that you can see in Durban (order Charadriiformes, Shorebirds and Allies) are Blacksmith Lapwing (about 20%), Crested Tern (about 10%) and Dominican Gull (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Water Thick-knee is recorded against all the birds logged in Durban (39 verified sightings), 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.
