Photo: Greg Schechter from San Francisco, USA / CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Beach Stone-curlew
Esacus magnirostris
Beach Stone-curlew (Esacus magnirostris) — Shorebirds, Gulls & Auks of South & Southeast Asia.
Found across 10 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Beach Stone-curlew (Esacus magnirostris) is a member of the Burhinidae family found in Australia & Oceania and South & Southeast Asia. Adults weigh 1 kg. The IUCN Red List lists it as Near Threatened.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List (opens in a new tab)Close to qualifying for a threatened category in the near future.
Where it fits
- Class Aves
- Order Charadriiformes
- Family Burhinidae Stone-curlews, Thick-knees
- Genus Esacus
- Species magnirostris
Where it lives
Coasts and islets of tropical eastern Indian and western Pacific oceans: Andaman Is., Malay Pen. and southwestern, southern Philippines, Indonesian Arch., New Guinea and satellites, north-central WA to southeastern NSW (northwestern, northern, eastern Australia), Bismarck Arch. (including Admiralty Is.), north to southeastern Solomon Is. (except Rennell)
Quick facts
- Weight
- 1 kg
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Burhinidae
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Habitat
- Wetland, lake & coast
How to identify
Similar birds
Near Threatened
Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Beach Stone-curlew is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Behaviour
A bird of coastal habitats, it forages mainly on the ground.
Migration
The Beach Stone-curlew is partially migratory: some populations move with the seasons while others stay resident year-round.
The Beach Stone-curlew (Esacus magnirostris) is a species of stone-curlews, thick-knees in the family Burhinidae, order Charadriiformes. It is found in South & Southeast Asia, Australia & Oceania — coasts and islets of tropical e Indian and w Pacific oceans: Andaman Is., Malay Pen. and sw, s Philippines, Indonesian Arch., New Guinea and satellites, nc WA to se NSW (nw, n, e Australia), Bismarck Arch. (including Admiralty Is.), n to se Solomon Is. (except Rennell).
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Beach Stone-curlew?
The Beach Stone-curlew is a very large bird that weighs around 1 kg.
Where does the Beach Stone-curlew live?
The Beach Stone-curlew is found across Australia & Oceania and South & Southeast Asia with a range covering OR, AU coasts and islets of tropical e Indian and w Pacific oceans: Andaman Is., Malay Pen. and sw, s Philippines, Indonesian Arch., New Guinea and satellites, nc WA to se NSW (nw, n, e Australia), Bismarck Arch. (including Admiralty Is.), n to se Solomon Is. (except Rennell), where it is associated with wetlands, lakes and other open water.
What family does the Beach Stone-curlew belong to?
The Beach Stone-curlew (Esacus magnirostris) belongs to the Burhinidae family, in the order Charadriiformes.
What does the Beach Stone-curlew eat?
The Beach Stone-curlew is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Beach Stone-curlew migrate?
The Beach Stone-curlew is partially migratory: some populations move with the seasons while others stay resident year-round.
Is the Beach Stone-curlew endangered?
The IUCN Red List lists it as Near Threatened That means it is close to qualifying as threatened and is worth keeping a careful eye on.
What sound does the Beach Stone-curlew make?
1 real field recording of the Beach Stone-curlew — including its call — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Beach Stone-curlew's range?
The Beach Stone-curlew has a mapped global range of about 2.2 million km².
Conservation
Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.
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