Beach Stone-curlew
BEACH STONE-CURLEW
Esacus magnirostris
Burhinidae Family
rare, resident
Length 510mm (20")
Bird #491 - December 2015
This was formerly known as Beach Thick-knee (Kennedy Guide).
We never thought we would encounter this bird in the Philippines. There had been no recent records of this bird. The WBCP Checklist notes about this bird said that "May be extirpated from most Philippine islands. Only recent verified records are from Isabela (1988) by Timothy Fisher and from Samar (2003) by Renato Fernandez. See Gonzales 2004". We found out that aside from the sighting in 2015, the bird had been reported in Danjugan in 2014, but this report was not confirmed because there was no photograph.
The bird we saw was alone and would call out frequently. We did not see any other birds of the same species. This species breeds in the Philippines. They are found in beaches, exposed coral flats, and reefs. They have become rare because loss of suitable undisturbed habitat.
It is interesting that the bird was found in Danjugan Island, he only island in the Philippines that was purchased by a foundation for conservation and preservation as a marine and wildlife preserve. It is likely that this bird moved to this particular island as a young bird. Perhaps others will find their way to this marine and wildlife sanctuary.
Read MoreEsacus magnirostris
Burhinidae Family
rare, resident
Length 510mm (20")
Bird #491 - December 2015
This was formerly known as Beach Thick-knee (Kennedy Guide).
We never thought we would encounter this bird in the Philippines. There had been no recent records of this bird. The WBCP Checklist notes about this bird said that "May be extirpated from most Philippine islands. Only recent verified records are from Isabela (1988) by Timothy Fisher and from Samar (2003) by Renato Fernandez. See Gonzales 2004". We found out that aside from the sighting in 2015, the bird had been reported in Danjugan in 2014, but this report was not confirmed because there was no photograph.
The bird we saw was alone and would call out frequently. We did not see any other birds of the same species. This species breeds in the Philippines. They are found in beaches, exposed coral flats, and reefs. They have become rare because loss of suitable undisturbed habitat.
It is interesting that the bird was found in Danjugan Island, he only island in the Philippines that was purchased by a foundation for conservation and preservation as a marine and wildlife preserve. It is likely that this bird moved to this particular island as a young bird. Perhaps others will find their way to this marine and wildlife sanctuary.
