- Burhinus giganteus
Identification
A large, rather ungainly bird with an outsized beak, it could be mistaken at first glance for a heron species. The only other thick-knee or stone-curlew to occur in Australia is the bush thick-knee which is more generally brownish, and is not confined to the coasts.
This large wading bird is endangered.
Distribution
Coastal Australia.
Taxonomy
A monotypic species.
Esacus vs. Burhinus
Some authorities (Clements 2010) place Great Stone-curlew (recurvirostris) and Beach Stone-curlew (magnirostris) in the genus Burhinus. However, Howard & Moore (2003) and Gill & Donsker (2010) place these species in Esacus.