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Eurasian Thick-knee Burhinus oedicnemus

IUCN Red List history

Year Category
2012 Least Concern
2009 Least Concern
2008 Least Concern
2004 Least Concern
2000 Lower Risk/Least Concern
1994 Lower Risk/Least Concern
1988 Lower Risk/Least Concern

Species attributes

Migratory status full migrant Forest dependency Does not normally occur in forest
Land mass type   Average mass 459 g

Distribution

  Estimate Data quality
Extent of Occurrence breeding/resident (km2) 14,100,000 medium
Extent of Occurrence non-breeding (km2) 16,000,000 medium
Number of locations -
Fragmentation -

Population & trend

  Estimate Data quality Derivation Year of estimate
No. of mature individuals poor Estimated 2009
Population trend Decreasing -
Number of subpopulations - - -
Largest subpopulation - - -
Generation length (yrs) 10.5 - - -
Population justification: It has a large global population estimated to number 130,000-310,000 individuals. The European population is estimated at 46,000-78,000 pairs.
Trend justification: The overall population trend is decreasing, although some populations have unknown trends (Wetlands International 2006), and in Europe, trends since 1996 show that populations have undergone a moderate increase (p<0.05), based on provisional data for 21 countries from the Pan-European Common Bird Monitoring Scheme (EBCC/RSPB/BirdLife/Statistics Netherlands; P. Vorisek in litt. 2008).

Country/Territory distribution

Country/Territory Occurrence status Extinct Breeding Non-breeding Passage
Afghanistan Native No Yes    
Albania Native No Yes    
Algeria Native No      
Armenia Native No Yes    
Austria Native No Yes    
Azerbaijan Native No Yes    
Bahrain Native No     Yes
Bangladesh Native No      
Belarus Native No Yes    
Belgium Vagrant No      
Bhutan Native No      
Bosnia and Herzegovina Native No Yes    
Bulgaria Native No Yes   Yes
Cambodia Native No Yes    
China (mainland) Native No      
Congo, The Democratic Republic of the Vagrant No      
Croatia Native No Yes    
Cyprus Native No      
Czech Republic Native No Yes    
Denmark Vagrant No      
Djibouti Native No      
Egypt Native No      
Eritrea Native No      
Estonia Vagrant No      
Ethiopia Native No      
Finland Vagrant No      
France Native No     Yes
Georgia Native No Yes    
Germany Native No Yes   Yes
Gibraltar (to UK) Native No      
Greece Native No     Yes
Guinea Native No      
Hungary Native No Yes    
Iceland Vagrant No      
India Native No Yes    
Iran, Islamic Republic of Native No Yes   Yes
Iraq Native No Yes   Yes
Ireland Vagrant No      
Israel Native No Yes    
Italy Native No     Yes
Jordan Native No Yes   Yes
Kazakhstan Native No Yes    
Kenya Native No      
Kuwait Native No   Yes Yes
Kyrgyzstan Native No      
Laos Vagrant No      
Lebanon Native No     Yes
Libya Native No      
Liechtenstein Vagrant No      
Lithuania Native No Yes    
Luxembourg Vagrant No      
Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Native No Yes    
Mali Native No      
Malta Native No      
Mauritania Native No      
Moldova Native No Yes    
Montenegro Native No Yes    
Morocco Native No      
Myanmar Native No      
Nepal Native No Yes    
Netherlands Vagrant No      
Niger Vagrant No      
Nigeria Vagrant No      
Norway Vagrant No      
Oman Native No   Yes Yes
Pakistan Native No Yes    
Palestinian Authority Territories Native No     Yes
Poland Native No Yes    
Portugal Native No      
Qatar Native No     Yes
Romania Native No Yes    
Russia (Central Asian) Vagrant No      
Russia (European) Native No Yes    
Saudi Arabia Native No   Yes Yes
Senegal Native No      
Serbia Native No Yes    
Sierra Leone Vagrant No      
Slovakia Native No Yes    
Slovenia Native Yes Yes    
Somalia Vagrant No      
Spain Native No      
Sri Lanka Native No Yes    
Sudan Native No   Yes  
Sweden Vagrant No      
Switzerland Native No      
Syria Native No     Yes
Tajikistan Native No Yes    
Tanzania Native No      
Thailand Native No Yes    
Tunisia Native No      
Turkey Native No      
Turkmenistan Native No Yes    
Uganda Native No      
Ukraine Native No Yes    
United Arab Emirates Native No   Yes Yes
United Kingdom Native No Yes    
Uzbekistan Native No Yes    
Vietnam Native No Yes    
Western Sahara Native No Yes    
Yemen Native No   Yes Yes

Important Bird Areas where this species has triggered the IBA criteria

Country/Territory IBA Name IBA link
Austria Central Marchfeld site factsheet
Austria Steinfeld site factsheet
Bulgaria Arda Bridge site factsheet
Bulgaria Kaliakra site factsheet
Bulgaria Rayanovtsi site factsheet
Bulgaria Sakar site factsheet
Bulgaria Straldzha Complex site factsheet
Bulgaria Studen Kladenets site factsheet
Bulgaria Western Strandzha site factsheet
Cyprus Akrotiri Peninsula - Episkopi Cliffs site factsheet
Cyprus Larnaca salt-lakes site factsheet
Cyprus Pafos plain site factsheet
Cyprus Xeros Valley - Asprokremmos dam site factsheet
France Basse Vallée du Doubs : Dole Sud site factsheet
France Boucle de Moisson site factsheet
France Boucle de Pose et de Muids site factsheet
France Brenne centrale site factsheet
France Crau site factsheet
France Gorges de la Dourbie et causses avoisinants site factsheet
France Mars sur Allier site factsheet
France Massif du Petit Lubéron site factsheet
France Parc National des Cévennes site factsheet
France Petite Beauce site factsheet
France Plaine calcaire du sud Vendée site factsheet
France Plaine de Niort (nord-ouest) site factsheet
France Plaine de Niort (sud-est) site factsheet
France Plaine de Villefagnan site factsheet
France Plaine du Forez site factsheet
France Plaines de Mirebeau et de Neuville-du-Poitou site factsheet
France Plaines de Saint-Jouin de Marne et d'Assais-les-Jumeaux site factsheet
France Plateau de Valensole site factsheet
France Sologne Bourbonnaise site factsheet
France Val d'Allier : Saint-Yorre-Joze site factsheet
France Val d'Allier Bourbonnais site factsheet
France Vallée de l'Aube, de la Superbe et Marigny site factsheet
France Vallée de la Conie et Beauce centrale site factsheet
France Vallée de la Loire : La Charité-sur-Loire site factsheet
France Zones agricoles de la Hardt site factsheet
Greece Amvrakikos gulf site factsheet
Greece Lake Mitrikou (Ismarida) site factsheet
Greece Lakes Khortaro and Alyki, Moudros gulf, Diapori fen, and Fakos peninsula site factsheet
Greece Mesolongi and Aetoliko lagoons, and Acheloos and Evinos estuaries site factsheet
Greece Mount Falakro site factsheet
Greece Nestou delta and coastal lagoons site factsheet
Greece Porto Lagos, Lake Vistonis, and coastal lagoons (Lakes of Thrace) site factsheet
Hungary Alkaline lakes of Kiskunság site factsheet
Hungary Alkaline pusztas of Upper Kiskunság site factsheet
Hungary Cserebökény Pusztas of Szentes site factsheet
Hungary Gerje-sik site factsheet
Hungary Heves Plain site factsheet
Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Pelagonia site factsheet
Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of River Topolka-river Babuna-river Bregalnica site factsheet
Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of River Zletovska valley site factsheet
Portugal Albufeira do Caia site factsheet
Portugal Alter do Chão site factsheet
Portugal Campo Maior site factsheet
Portugal Castro Marim site factsheet
Portugal Castro Verde plains site factsheet
Portugal Côa valley site factsheet
Portugal Mourão, Moura e Barrancos site factsheet
Portugal Serra de Penha Garcia e Campina de Toulões site factsheet
Portugal Vila Fernando site factsheet
Romania Aliman - Adamclisi site factsheet
Romania Beştepe - Mahmudia site factsheet
Romania Danube Delta site factsheet
Romania Dealurile Dorobanţu site factsheet
Romania Dobrogei gorge site factsheet
Romania Dunăre - Canarale - Hârşova site factsheet
Romania Hagieni forest site factsheet
Romania Măcin - Niculiţel site factsheet
Romania Olt valley site factsheet
Romania Stepa Casimcea site factsheet
Russia (European) Dono-Archedinskiye sands site factsheet
Russia (European) Sostinskiye lakes site factsheet
Russia (European) Tsimlyanskiye sands site factsheet
Spain Altos de Barahona high moor site factsheet
Spain Belchite-Mediana site factsheet
Spain Bienvenida-Usagre-Ribera del Fresno site factsheet
Spain Blancas-Torralba de los Sisones site factsheet
Spain Carrión-Frómista site factsheet
Spain Córdoba countryside site factsheet
Spain Coast between Corralejo and Tostón site factsheet
Spain Coastal cliffs between Cape Enderrocat and Cala Pí site factsheet
Spain Cogul-Alfés steppes site factsheet
Spain Cuchillete de Buenavista-gully of La Torre-Los Alares site factsheet
Spain El Médano coast site factsheet
Spain El Valle, Altaona and Escalona mountains site factsheet
Spain Famara sandy plain site factsheet
Spain Guadalentín saltmarshes site factsheet
Spain Gully of Ajuí-Betancuria site factsheet
Spain Hoya de Baza site factsheet
Spain Hoya de Guadix site factsheet
Spain Isla Cristina and Ayamonte marshes and Prado lagoon site factsheet
Spain Isthmus of Jandía sandy plain site factsheet
Spain La Limia site factsheet
Spain La Serena site factsheet
Spain Lajares sandy plain-Cotillo-Ezquinzo site factsheet
Spain Lerida steppes site factsheet
Spain Monegrillo-Pina steppe area-Pina site factsheet
Spain Plain between Cáceres and Trujillo-Aldea del Cano site factsheet
Spain Plains of La Corona-Las Honduras site factsheet
Spain Puebla de Don Fadrique-Las Cañadas site factsheet
Spain Quipar reservoir, Molino mountain range and Cagitán plains site factsheet
Spain Sandy plain of Corralejo site factsheet
Spain Tabernas desert site factsheet
Spain Talamanca-Camarma site factsheet
Spain Tierra de Campiñas steppes site factsheet
Spain Tierra de Campos steppes site factsheet
Turkey Göksu Delta site factsheet
Turkey Gediz Delta site factsheet
Turkey Kızılırmak Delta site factsheet
Turkey Seyhan Delta site factsheet
United Kingdom Breckland site factsheet
United Kingdom Porton Down site factsheet
United Kingdom Salisbury Plain site factsheet

Habitats & altitude

Habitat (level 1) Habitat (level 2) Importance Occurrence
Artificial/Terrestrial Arable Land suitable non-breeding
Artificial/Terrestrial Arable Land suitable breeding
Grassland Subtropical/Tropical Dry suitable breeding
Grassland Subtropical/Tropical Dry suitable non-breeding
Grassland Temperate suitable breeding
Grassland Temperate suitable non-breeding
Shrubland Subtropical/Tropical Dry suitable breeding
Shrubland Subtropical/Tropical Dry suitable non-breeding
Shrubland Temperate suitable non-breeding
Shrubland Temperate suitable breeding
Altitude 0 - 0 m Occasional altitudinal limits  

Utilisation

Purpose Primary form used Life stage used Source Scale Level Timing
Food (human) Whole Adults and juveniles Wild Subsistence, National Non-trivial Recent
Pets Whole Adults and juveniles Wild International Non-trivial Recent
Sport Whole Adults and juveniles Wild Subsistence, National Non-trivial Recent

Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2013) Species factsheet: Burhinus oedicnemus. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 19/06/2013. Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2013) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 19/06/2013.

This information is based upon, and updates, the information published in BirdLife International (2000) Threatened birds of the world. Barcelona and Cambridge, UK: Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, BirdLife International (2004) Threatened birds of the world 2004 CD-ROM and BirdLife International (2008) Threatened birds of the world 2008 CD-ROM. These sources provide the information for species accounts for the birds on the IUCN Red List.

To provide new information to update this factsheet or to correct any errors, please email BirdLife

To contribute to discussions on the evaluation of the IUCN Red List status of Globally Threatened Birds, please visit BirdLife's Globally Threatened Bird Forums.

Key facts
Current IUCN Red List category Least Concern
Family Burhinidae (Thick-knees)
Species name author (Linnaeus, 1758)
Population size mature individuals
Population trend Decreasing
Distribution size (breeding/resident) 14,100,000 km2
Country endemic? No
Links to further information
- Summary information on this species