Burhinus vermiculatus
Silhouette: Auckland Museum · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%
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 |
Likely
About 60% of wildlife watchers report a Water Thick-knee sighting in Mombasa on a given day, based on 129 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 14th most-seen of the 146 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May and September–October
In those months about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Water Thick-knee in Mombasa on a given day, against about 40% in March and December, the lowest months. Those are among Mombasa's wettest months, with about 120 mm of rain a month against 15 mm in February.
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.
Yes
Of the 7 cities where we can rate Water Thick-knee sightings, Mombasa has the highest daily chance: about 60%. Next come 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 Mombasa (order Charadriiformes, Shorebirds and Allies) are African Jacana (about 50%), Common Sandpiper (about 40%) and Common Greenshank (about 20%), 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 Mombasa (129 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.
