Thick-knee

Thick-knee (Oedienemus), a genus of birds of the family Otididæ. In haunts and habits they closely resemble the Bustards (q.v.), but they differ from them chiefly in having the bill longer, the wings more pointed, and the tarsus finely reticulated before and behind. They are partly nocturnal; their flight is strong and rapid, but somewhat laboured; their call-notes are loud and discordant. Thick-knees run with great speed. They are generally very shy, and are found chiefly in desert places. There are eleven species, widely distributed, being absent only from North America. Only one species is European. It occurs in Britain, and is known as the Common Thick-knee O. crepitans or seolopax, and also as the Thick-kneed Plover, Thick-kneed Bustard, Great Plover, Norfolk Plover, and Stone Curlew. It is found in many parts of England on chalk downs and open heaths. A few specimens have been found in Ireland, and it has been recorded from Scotland. Worms, slugs, insects, frogs, and field-mice constitute its food. They build no nest, but choose a depression in the ground in which to lay their eggs, generally two in number. One species is Australian.