Scientific Name: Esacus magnirostris
Malay Name: Kedidi-Malam Besar Pantai
Chinese Name: 澳洲石鸻
Range: Breeding Range: Andaman and Nicobar Island, coastal Malay Peninsula, Indonesian archipelago towards Philippines on the northern side, New Caledonia on the western side and northern Australia on the southern side.
Taxonomy: Monotypic.
Size: 53-57 cm
Identification: Large, thickset bird with medium long sturdy legs, heavy head, bulky bill and broad wings. Bustard-like appearance. Head marked with black, white and grey/brown stripes. In flight, upperwings show mostly grey secondaries and mostly white inner primaries. Underwings all white except for black-tipped secondaries and outer primaries.
Habitat: Undisturbed sandy beach and sandflats often near mangroves.
Behaviour/Ecology: Mostly crepuscular and nocturnal. Vocal at night.
Local Status: Very rare visitor
Conservation Status: Near Threatened (BirdLife International 2016)
- Bird List Revision for May 2019 (Revisions)
- Updates for January 2016 (Blog)
Conservation Status: IUCN Red List Page
Sound Recordings: xeno-canto Link
Wikipedia Entry: Wikipedia Link
eBird Species page: eBird (Beach Thick-knee)
References:
BirdLife International. (2016). Esacus magnirostris. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22728621A94992570.en. Accessed on 1 January 2023
Robson, C. (2014). Field guide to the birds of South-East Asia (Second Edition). Bloomsbury Publishing, London.
RECOMMENDED CITATION
Bird Society of Singapore. (n.d.). Beach Stone-curlew. Retrieved on June 22, 2025 from https://singaporebirds.com/species/beach-stone-curlew.