| Dedicated to Professor H. Boschma on the occasion of his seventieth birthday. INTRODUCTION The family Burhinidae or Stone Curlews, consists of large ploverlike birds which have no hind toe, long yellow legs with thickened tibiotarsal joints, hence the sometimes used popular name of "thickknee". The head is relatively big and very round and the eye is yellow, large and very striking. The bill is short and stout. The plumage is very cryptic when the bird is at rest, but in flight or in postures with wings raised a rather striking contrasty pattern becomes visible in the wing. All members of this family are nocturnal in their habits and during the day time they often squat on the ground among rocks and vegetation and are then difficult to spot unless they... |
