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Bush Stone-Curlew

Burhinus grallarius

Photo by The GeoDex
Published on Project Noah
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Field Notes

Description:

You ever see an animal that always has an expression of being tired of you? That's this bird. This is a bush stone-curlew at the Sedgwick Zoo. The bush stone-curlew is a nocturnal scrub bird that mainly feeds on small grassland animals from insects all the way up to small mammals. As a defense, this bird will freeze in place often in hilarious poses. Their call is unique, being compared to the screaming of an opossum.

Habitat:

Native to Australia

Notes:

Seriously every photo I find of this bird they have the most tired, judgmental look in their eyes. Like, yeah you owe them money but they saw you buy that pack of skittles, and they're just passive aggressive enough to not confront you about it but they'll remember. If this bird was a person it'd be the kind to mutter the b-word at you under their breath as you walk away from an argument. Not the Samuel L. Jackson way of saying the b-word either, but like I can't believe you've done this kind of b-word. A dissapointed b-word.

Species ID Suggestions

Comments (7)
Neil Ross
Ah yes, our beloved funnel web spider. Not known for its sense of humour. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaRsUDNOETE Too far south here for crocs, but sharks are my greatest fear. I love the beach, but am hyper-cautious. I love snakes and see them occasionally at home, work, or when I'm hiking. Give them space, and treat them with respect. They don't want confrontation any more then we do. Crocs and sharks don't understand that.
The GeoDex
Which of course isn't all the way true but you do have the Sydney funnel web and twenty-four foot crocs and honestly if you had nothing else that'd be it for me lol
The GeoDex
Ah the brushtail is the possum I was thinking of. That's the one that is shown a lot here in the US as a cheeky comparison to the two. A common joke here is that God mixed our possums up because everything in Australia is scary.
Neil Ross
We have several possum species here, all marsupials like your opossum. The two main species that I see regularly in Brisbane (and Sydney) are the brushtail and ringtail varieties. https://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/25605181 https://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/130846368 The joeys are very cute, but they grow up. They can be very noisy and smelly, and my cats have learned not to mess with them. Males can be very savage. I guess the opossums are similar in that respect. I don't feed them anymore - it just creates a problem.
The GeoDex
I will say I didn't expect that call. When I read about them it was compared to an opossum. Here in the US our opossums have deep, growling screams. I understand Australia has opossoms (which are much cuter) is their cry more comparable to the bush stone-curlew?
The GeoDex
They're wonderful. Australia has my favorite wildlife.
Neil Ross
He's a long way from home. I like these birds, particularly when they terrorise my neighbour's kids with their screams. They do it from my front yard. It's wonderful to have a laugh at 3AM. Here's a vid I found. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZWHUU41gsk

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Captive Animals
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PublishedNovember 18, 2018

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