The Story
I photographed this Double-striped Thick-knee (Hesperoburhinus bistriatus) at the Finca Ecoturística Canaguaros, near Tauramena, Casanare, Colombia, in January 2020. It eats large insects and other small prey, and it is sometimes kept semi-domesticated to control insects. Its nest is a bare scrape, and both parents incubate the two eggs for 25 to 27 days. Its song, given at night, is a loud kee-kee-kee. It has a strong black-and-yellow bill, large yellow eyes and cryptic, finely streaked gray-brown plumage. It is active mostly at night and at dusk, and it flies only reluctantly, relying on crouching and camouflage to stay hidden. IUCN lists it as Least Concern, with a stable population.
I used a Pentax K-1 with the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6 for this one, at 1/160 sec, f/5.6, ISO 6400. It has benefited from the clearing of woodland for pasture.
©2020 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Double-striped Thick-knee (Hesperoburhinus bistriatus) belongs to the family Burhinidae (Thick-knees) in the eBird/Clements taxonomy.
Source: eBird.org (opens in a new tab)
Conservation
Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (assessment published 2020), with the population trend listed as stable (listed by IUCN as Burhinus bistriatus). Source: IUCN Red List
