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  1. Species
  2. ›
  3. Burhinidae
  4. ›
  5. Esacus
  6. ›
  7. Beach Stone-curlew
Beach Stone-curlew
Photo · (c) Andrew Allen, some rights reserved (CC BY)

BirdUp · Species

Beach Stone-curlew

Esacus magnirostris(Vieillot, 1818)

Updated 21 March 2026

Also known asWee-lo

Conservation status: Near ThreatenedOrigin: Native
Order
CHARADRIIFORMES
Family
Burhinidae
Genus
Esacus

At a glance

The Beach Stone-curlew is a large bird, about 54–56 cm long, listed as Near Threatened and native to Australia. It can be seen year-round.

Size
54–56 cm
Conservation status
Near Threatened
Origin
Native
Best seen
Year-round
Commonness
Very common
  • Identification
  • Where
  • When
  • Behaviour
  • Gallery

01 · Identification

How to tell it apart

What does a Beach Stone-curlew look like?

The Beach Stone-curlew is a large bird, about 54–56 cm long and weighing 870–1130 g.

The beach stone-curlew also known as beach thick-knee is a large, ground-dwelling bird that occurs in Australasia, the islands of South-east Asia. At 55 cm (22 in) and 1 kg (2.2 lb), it is one of the world's largest shorebirds.

Description · wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Field specs

Length
54–56 cm
Weight
870–1130 g
Wingspan
100 cm

Measurements · avonet · CC BY 4.0

03 · When

When to look

When can you see a Beach Stone-curlew?

The Beach Stone-curlew is present across its Australian range year-round, so it can be seen in any month.

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

05 · Behaviour

Habits and haunts

What does a Beach Stone-curlew eat?

The Beach Stone-curlew feeds on intertidal invertebrates, usually foraging in pairs or alone.

06 · Gallery

Plumage up close

6 photos

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02 · Where

Where to find it

Where does the Beach Stone-curlew live in Australia?

The Beach Stone-curlew is native to Australia, recorded across 31 of Australia’s bioregions.

BreedingOR, AU : coasts and islets of tropical east Indian and west Pacific oceans: Andaman Is., Malay Pen. and south-west and south Philippines, Indonesian Arch., New Guinea and satellites, north-central WA to south-east NSW (north-west, north and east Australia), Bismarck Arch. (including Admiralty Is.), north to south-east Solomon Is. (except Rennell)

Distribution from BirdUp Australia community data

Legend

  • Resident
  • Passage
  • Breeding

7 regions recorded