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Glite Dictionary
thick-knee

thick-knee

9.9
A large wading bird with big eyes and a thick knee joint
  • noun
  • /θɪk ni/
  • Specialized
translation icon : pierna gruesa
  • While walking along the beach, we spotted a thick-knee searching for food in the shallow water.

Examples

  • In some shorebirds, such as oystercatchers (Haematopodidae) and thick-knees (Burhinidae), the young are fed by the parents, whereas in many others the young require less care; the parents only brood them and defend them from predators.

    Academic text (2006)

  • Other shorebirds, notably ruffs, jacanas, avocets, and thick-knees, display mostly on the ground and without acrobatic maneuvers.

    Academic text (2006)

  • The thick-knee is known for its distinctive appearance, especially its large eyes and sturdy legs.

  • With its peculiar knee joint, the thick-knee is well-adapted to life as a wading bird in marshy areas.

Synonyms

stone curlew
vsthick-knee
  • Specialized
9.9

A large bird with a big head and eyes that is active at night near coasts and wetlands

is the broader common label for similar wading birds rather than a species
Burhinus oedicnemus
vsthick-knee
  • Specialized
9.9

A large bird active at night with thick knees and big eyes that lives near coasts and open ground

refers more generally to the group not just this single species

Surface Forms

thick-knee singular
thick-knees plural

Morphology

thick-knee = thick + knee (transparent) = thick + knee

A literal descriptive compound: the name refers directly to the bird's thickened knee joint, so the meaning follows straightforwardly from 'thick' + 'knee'.

Etymology

The word thick-knee comes from the simple English words thick ('wide or large') and knee ('leg joint'), because the bird has a large joint where its leg bends. So the name is a direct description of this wading bird and helps you remember it by its thick-looking knee.