More closely associated with water than other thick-knees and also more active during the day. Its streaked gray wing panel distinguishes it from the more widespread Spotted Thick-knee. Thick-knees are in their own family, the Burhinidae. They are rather large, mostly nocturnal plover-like birds which rely on their cryptic coloration for concealment. Their large eyes are well adapted for foraging at night. Note the expanded inter-tarsal joint which is the origin of the name thick-knee. However this swollen joint is actually the ankle, not the knee. In birds, the knee joint is usually internal to the body cavity. Some authors call this bird the Water Dikkop. This is the widespread paler, grayer, shorter-billed nominate race.
