The Grand Old Double-striped Thick-knee

Double-striped thick-knees are a lot like the Grand Old Duke of York of nursery rhyme fame. You see, when they are up they are up....

when they are down they are down....

and when they are only halfway up they are neither up nor down.

Charlie's Bustard post, which referred to stone curlews, reminded me to post this. These guys are of the Venezuelan equivalent of the stone curlew and share the genus Burhinus with 5 other similar species. A pair of them was running around the pasture opposite the crocodile nest at our hotel (talk about options paralysis). I think these guys are fabulous - those huge liquid golden eyes, curious expressions and that running gait make them one of those birds that works wonderfully but looks a little bit like it was designed by committee. They don't just run around being awesome though - next week I'll show you what else they do.