The Story
I photographed this Double-striped Thick-knee (Hesperoburhinus bistriatus) at the Finca Ecoturística Canaguaros, near Tauramena, Casanare, Colombia, in January 2020. Its name comes from the prominent joints in its long greenish-gray legs, and bistriatus refers to the two stripes on its head. It has a strong black-and-yellow bill, large yellow eyes and cryptic, finely streaked gray-brown plumage. It lives in dry grassland, savanna and other open country from southern Mexico to Colombia, Venezuela and northern Brazil. 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 made this frame with a Pentax K-1 and the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6, at 1/320 sec, f/7.1, ISO 6400. Tauramena was founded in 1663 by Governor Pedro Ordóñez de Vargas with Achagua people from the Upía and Cusiana rivers.
©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
