Bush Stone-curlew

The Bush Stone-curlew is a large, ground-dwelling, mostly nocturnal bird instantly distinguished by its huge, staring yellow eyes and long, thin legs. Its plumage is a finely streaked, mottled grey-brown, providing exceptional camouflage against leaf litter and dry grass, and it stands tall and upright on long legs with a slightly hunched posture.

Unlike true curlews and other shorebirds it resembles in build, the Bush Stone-curlew is not tied to water and is instead a bird of dry, open woodland and grassy country, where it relies on stillness and camouflage rather than flight to avoid predators during the day. When disturbed, it may freeze in a stretched, motionless posture that makes it remarkably difficult to spot.

The species is best known to most Australians through its haunting, wailing call, delivered mainly at night, which has long featured in bush folklore as an eerie and evocative sound of the Australian night.

Key field marks

• Large, upright ground bird with long, thin, greyish legs
• Big, staring yellow eyes
• Finely streaked and mottled grey-brown plumage overall
• Short, straight dark bill
• Often stands motionless or crouches flat when alarmed

Similar species

No other Australian bird shares its combination of huge yellow eyes, cryptic streaked plumage, and upright stance on open ground. The related Beach Stone-curlew is larger, found on coastal mudflats and beaches rather than inland woodland, and has a bold black-and-white face pattern and heavier black bill, quite different from the plain-faced Bush Stone-curlew.

Habitat

This species favours open eucalypt woodland, grassy plains, and pastoral country with scattered trees and fallen timber, and can also occur in parks and golf courses with suitable cover.

Range

It is found across most of mainland Australia except the most arid interior, though it has become scarce or locally extinct across much of southeastern Australia due to habitat clearing and predation by introduced foxes and cats; it remains relatively common in northern Australia.

Migration

Bush Stone-curlews are largely sedentary, holding stable home ranges, though some local dispersal of young birds occurs.

Behavior

It is primarily nocturnal, resting by day in a crouched, cryptic posture under cover and becoming active at dusk to forage. When threatened, it typically relies on camouflage and stillness rather than flushing.

Voice

The call is a loud, mournful, wailing 'wee-loo' delivered mainly at night, often by pairs or groups calling in a chorus that can carry long distances and is a distinctive sound of the Australian bush after dark.

Feeding

Bush Stone-curlews forage at night on the ground for insects, spiders, small reptiles, and occasionally small mammals, walking slowly and pausing to snatch prey.

Nesting and breeding

The nest is a simple scrape on bare ground, often near a log or clump of grass, with little or no lining; one or two eggs are laid, and both parents share incubation and defence of the well-camouflaged eggs and chicks.