Bush Stone-curlew

The Bush Stone-curlew is a large, slim, ground-dwelling bird, unlike any other bird in Australia. They do all their feeding and other activities at night. Their eyes are large and their legs are long and if they live near you, you would hear their eerie, high-pitched wailing at night, which is their contact call and may be given by several birds in unison. They can fly, but rely on their camouflage to avoid detection. When they are seen during the day, they are usually standing quietly in the shade with their eyes half-closed, or squatting on the ground where their cryptic plumage makes them difficult to see among the leaf litter.

Bush Stone-curlews can live more than 20 years in the right conditions without threats or disturbance.

These birds are now primarily urban dwellers and prefer open grassy areas such as school grounds, public parks, golf courses and residential yards. The Bush Stone-curlew choose areas where they have a line of sight to keep a lookout for predators such as dogs, cats and foxes and feed mainly on insects, so a light source such as a streetlight is handy to be around. In most rural areas, they are declining in numbers through predation by foxes and feral cats.

Bush Stone-curlews have a remarkable courtship dance. Individuals stand with their wings outstretched, their tail upright and their neck stretched slightly forward. The birds will stamp their feet up and down, like a soldier marking time. This courtship ritual is repeated for an hour or more at a time and is accompanied by loud and constant calling.

Their breeding season is from July to January where they lay around 1 to 3 eggs in a shallow scrape in the ground. Both adults share the incubation and care of the young with chicks growing quickly, reaching adult size approximately 7 weeks after hatching. To achieve this growth rate they need their natural diet of insects and small lizards. Feeding human food to Bush Stone-curlews, commonly bread and mince, leads to malnutrition causing them to die or developed bone deformities in some cases.

In New South Wales, the Bush Stone-curlew has been listed as an Endangered species which means that it is likely or is in immediate danger of becoming extinct. Estimations show that only 1000 breeding pairs are left and are declining and efforts are needed to ensure the long term survival of this wonderful bird. This decline is due to a lower number of chick survival.

To help protect the Bush Stone-Curlew, while it is still common:

• Keep your pets confined to your property at all times, except when on a leash or at a designated off-leash area.

• Report any fox dens to your local council.

• Look out for Bush Stone-curlews when in local parks and gardens. If you see them, please respect their need for space and give them a very wide berth.

• Teach children about Bush Stone-curlews, and ask that they do not approach them if they see them.

• Many chicks and adults are killed on the roads. Please slow down in areas where Bush Stonecurlews live and keep an eye and ear out .

• Participate in programs in your suburb to protect Bush Stone-curlews when they are nesting or raising chicks.