Burhinus senegalensis
Silhouette: Auckland Museum · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%
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 |
Likely
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Senegal Thick-knee sighting in Niokolo-Koba National Park on a given day, based on 222 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 32nd most-seen of the 215 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.
February and April
In those months about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Senegal Thick-knee in Niokolo-Koba National Park on a given day, against about 30% in August–September and November, the lowest months. Those are among Niokolo-Koba National Park's driest months, with almost no rain against 300 mm in August. May–July and October 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.
Yes
Of the 6 parks where we can rate Senegal Thick-knee sightings, Niokolo-Koba National Park has the highest daily chance: about 50%. Next come Murchison Falls National Park (Uganda, about 20%) and Awash National Park (Ethiopia, about 10%).
Same order: Charadriiformes
The closest relatives of the Senegal Thick-knee that you can see in Niokolo-Koba National Park (order Charadriiformes, Shorebirds and Allies) are Common Sandpiper (about 60%), Spur-winged Lapwing (about 60%) and Egyptian Plover (about 60%), 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 Niokolo-Koba National Park (222 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.
