Spotted dikkop

Conservation Messaging Opportunities

Keep the common species common

The seven thickknee/dikkop species share long legs, thick knees (hence other name), large eyes, cryptic plumage and crepuscular habits. These birds have a rich, rust-brown coloration with black arrowhead-esque spots. They are whiter below with fine streaks, some white on the face, on the throat, and behind the eye.
One of the larger of the thick-knee species (dikkops) weighing about 450 grams (16 oz) and are about 14 inches tall.

Range – eastern and southern Africa; narrow band from Senegal to the Horn Of Africa.
Habitat – open, flat, slightly wooded, semi-arid habitats in southern Africa. Sometimes found on playing fields and near coastal beaches.
The 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.

Wild – Mostly large insects; few crustaceans and frogs; limited vegetable matter and seeds
Zoo – Insects, bird of prey diet, small fish, softbill food, seeds

In the wild spotted dikkops start breeding in August and the last chicks fledge sometime in May. Usually only two eggs are laid - the eggs take about a month to hatch.
A pair may have more than one successful breeding attempt – some have been recorded rearing three sets of chicks in a single breeding season!
The nest is a simple scrape made on bare ground with their feet, sparsely lined with leaves, grass, small pebbles, and dried animal droppings.
Nesting appears to be instigated by the onset of rain. Generally the pair at Zoo Atlanta lay just before a couple of days of storms.

Major threats: None
One of the more common and stable dikkop species, this bird is able to live in relatively dense human-populated areas.
Known to tolerate and cope with human activity as long as limited alteration of habitat.

Spotted dikkops can raise two to three clutches of chicks in a single season.
Other common names include spotted thick-knee, and cape thick-knee.
Usually relatively silent during the day but vocalize after dusk when they are most active.
Vocalizations include “tche-uuu” , “pi pi pi pipi” , “whee-yu-ee”. They also sometimes croak.
Look for the aggressive stance - if another bird comes too close to him he stands very tall and holds out both wings horizontally. His plumage makes him hard to see sitting on the floor of the aviary.
Large eyes indicate that they are active in low light conditions.

Animal Encyclopedia (2005). Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia: Birds. The Gale Group, Inc.
BirdLife International (2004). Threatened Birds of the World. Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, U.K.
Hayman, P., J. Marchant & T. Prater. (1986). Shorebirds: An Identification Guide to the Waders of the World. Croom Helm, London. Retrieved June 12, 2008
Hume, R.A. (1996). Family Burhinidae (Thick-knees), in del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., & Sargatal, J., eds. Handbook of the Birds of the World, (Vol. 3 pp. 348-363). Barcelona: Lynx Edicions.
Smithsonian National Zoological Park (2007) Birds: Index: Spotted Dikkop. Retrieved June 12, 2008 from National Zoo Website: http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/Birds/Index/default.cfm?id=610
University of Cape Town (2003) Cape Thick-knee Burhinus capensis. Retrieved June 12, 2008 from UCT Avian Demography Unit Website: http://web.uct.ac.za/depts/stats/adu/species/sp297_00.htm

Updated June 2008