Seabirds and shorebirds
Cape Thick-knee Burhinus capensis
Kathy Calf
Animal Demography Unit
The Cape Thick-knee (also known as Spotted Dikkop) is found in open flat habitats in southern Africa.
It is generally sedentary; however birds from high rainfall areas, such as Zimbabwe, emigrate during
the summer rains, and it is likely that these move to areas such as the central Kalahari basin.
Cape Thick-knee start breeding in August and the last chicks may fledge in May. In addition, a pair
may have more than one successful breeding attempt, some have been recoreded rearing chicks successfully
from four different nests. If nests or chicks are lost, further attempts to breed may occur. They lay
two eggs in a scrape in the sand, lined with vegetation. Nests are usually in the open under or near
tall trees. The eggs take about a month to hatch and the chicks between five and six weeks to fledge.
Photo Kathy Calf
Cape Thick-knee
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Photo Kathy Calf
Cape Thick-knee chicks
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