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PLATE 31: BUSTARDS AND THICK-KNEES
Macqueen’s Bustard Chlamydotis macqueenii rb, pm, wv
L: 60. W: 150. A large bustard, with black frill down side of neck in all plumages. Flight rather slow,
wingbeats shallow, with long-tailed and narrow-winged appearance and white patch confined
to outer primaries only. Shy, prefers sneaking away without flying. Habitat Stony or sandy steppes,
semi-desert; also marginal cereals and other crops. Note Formerly more widespread breeding
range; has bred Kuwait, Syria; may breed Iraq; reintroduced in some sites in Saudi Arabia and UAE.
Now separated from Houbara Bustard C. undulata, which occurs across North Africa.Little Bustard Tetrax tetrax V
L: 43. W: 110. Small, with small head and long neck. Male has grey, black-and-white neck pattern;
non-breeding male, female and juvenile lack these striking neck markings. Flight fast with rapid,
stiff, winnowing wingbeats showing almost completely white wings with black mainly confined
to outermost primaries. Male displays in spring with inflated neck and brief leaps in the air. Often
in flocks, especially in winter; rather shy, frequently in cover of grass or low vegetation. Voice
Male displays with a short prrrt call. In flight, male’s wings make whistling noise. Habitat Grassy
plains, large cereal fields or fodder crops. Note Formerly bred Syria; winter hatched, but rare Turkey;
vagrant Oman.Spotted Thick-knee Burhinus capensis RB
L: 43. Resembles Eurasian Stone-curlew but upperparts buffier, spotted black in adult (but streaked
in juvenile like Eurasian Stone-curlew), the spotting being particularly obvious on the paler coverts;
lacks black-and-white bars on coverts. In all ages tertials and tail are diagnostically barred.
Flight pattern shows two prominent white patches on black primaries, and underwing usually shows
a strong dark bar along central wing. Prefers to stay near cover of bushes. More active by night
than day. Voice Usually at night: a whistled ti-ti-ti-tee-tee-tee ti ti ti, growing to a crescendo, then
dying away. Habitat Savanna and scrub, rocky river beds, broken ground, more bushy habitat than
Eurasian Stone-curlew frequents; nests near cover of bushes. Note Breeds C and S Oman; rare
elsewhere in Oman. [Alt: Spotted Dikkop]Eurasian Stone-curlew Burhinus oedicnemus pm, wv
L: 42. W: 81. Large, streaked, curlew-coloured wader with short bicoloured bill and large, staring
yellow eyes. Found in dry habitats, often ‘frozen’ motionless or walking slowly in hunched posture.
Flies with stiff wingbeats and shows two small white ‘windows’ in primaries and a paler wing-
panel, bordered in front with a dark and a white line. Adult Spotted Thick-knee is darker and
boldly spotted (juvenile more streaked). Often encountered in flocks. More active by night than day.
Voice Vocal mainly at night, reminiscent of Eurasian Curlew’s cur-lee with emphasis on higher-
pitched second syllable; also loud Oystercatcher-like ku-beek, ku-beek. Habitat Open plains, steppe
and semi-desert, also extensive arable land; among scattered trees and light scrub in hotter climates.
Note Passage and winter hatched, but absent in winter in Iran and Turkey.Great Stone-curlew Esacus recurvirostris pm, wv
L: 50. W: 95. Larger than Eurasian Stone-curlew with plain sandy-grey upperparts, white underparts
with unstreaked grey neck and breast. Head distinctive: long, very heavy, upturned, yellow-
based black bill and striking black-and-white head markings. In strong flight, short-tailed
appearance recalls small goose; flight feathers black with striking white patches in primaries; wing-
panel greyish, contrasting with dark band on lesser coverts, also visible on closed wing. Runs fast.
Voice Territorial note a wailing whistle with a rising inflection, mostly at night, see or seeey; alarm
call a harsh see-eck. Habitat Rocky river beds and their barren environs, coastal reefs, beaches,
estuaries and saltpans. Note Winter hatched, but rare. [Alt: Great Stone Plover]