Burhinus vermiculatus
Silhouette: Auckland Museum · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~80% 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 50% of wildlife watchers report a Water Thick-knee sighting in Mana Pools National Park on a given day, based on 226 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 30th most-seen of the 275 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February and August
In those months about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Water Thick-knee in Mana Pools National Park on a given day, against about 30% in January, the lowest month. March has too few records to rate.
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.
Among the best
Of the 40 parks where we can rate Water Thick-knee sightings, Mana Pools National Park ranks 3rd at about 50%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Lower Zambezi National Park (Zambia, about 50%) and Gonarezhou National Park (Zimbabwe, about 50%). All parks ranked.
Same order: Charadriiformes
The closest relatives of the Water Thick-knee that you can see in Mana Pools National Park (order Charadriiformes, Shorebirds and Allies) are White-headed Lapwing (about 50%), Black-winged Stilt (about 50%) and African Jacana (about 40%), 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 Mana Pools National Park (226 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.
