Burhinus indicus
Silhouette: Auckland Museum · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
The Indian stone-curlew or Indian thick-knee (Burhinus indicus) is a species of bird in the family Burhinidae. It was formerly included as a subspecies of the Eurasian stone-curlew. This species is found in the plains of South and South-eastern Asia. They have large eyes and are brown with streaks and pale marks making it hard to spot against the background of soils and rocks. Mostly active in the dark, they produce calls similar to the true curlews, giving them their names.
The Indian stone-curlew was formally described in 1866 by the Italian zoologist Tommaso Salvadori based on specimens obtained in India. He coined the binomial name Oedicnemus indicus. The specific epithet is Latin meaning "Indian". The Indian stone-curlew is now placed in the genus Burhinus that was erected in 1811 by the German zoologist Johann Karl Wilhelm Illiger in 1811. The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised.
This species was formerly treated as a subspecies of the Eurasian stone-curlew Burhinus oedicnemus but the Indian population is distinctive in plumage, and non-migratory, leading to its being treated as a full species by Pamela Rasmussen in 2005. There has however been no... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Udawalawe National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 2 | Ranthambore National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 3 | Gir National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 4 | Bandhavgarh National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 5 | Kanha National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 6 | Yala National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 7 | Keoladeo National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 8 | Chitwan National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 9 | Kaeng Krachan National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 10 | Wilpattu National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 11 | Satpura National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 12 | Minneriya National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 13 | Royal Bardia National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 14 | Jim Corbett National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 15 | Manas National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 16 | Doi Inthanon National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 17 | Kaziranga National Park | 🇮🇳 India |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Indian Thick-knee sighting in Yala National Park on a given day, based on 109 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 122nd most-seen of the 220 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September to November
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report an Indian Thick-knee in Yala National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April and June, the lowest months. Those are among Yala National Park's wettest months, with about 230 mm of rain a month against 35 mm in June.
Between 3 and 6 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Indian Thick-knee sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
6th of 17
Of the 17 parks where we can rate Indian Thick-knee sightings, Yala National Park ranks 6th at about 10%. The best odds are in Udawalawe National Park (Sri Lanka, about 20%), Ranthambore National Park (India, about 20%) and Gir National Park (India, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Indian Thick-knee is recorded against all the birds logged in Yala National Park (109 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.
