Stone Curlews are members of the "Thick-knee" family and are resident in Portugal. They get their name from their call, which resembles the haunting cry of a Curlew, while their habitat is usually stony, broken ground with little cover.
Unlike other members of the Thick-knee family, they are very shy and their camouflage is extraordinary, so they can be difficult to see even when surprisingly close.
They are most commonly found about 100-200 mts from working farms with dung heaps, and are active most often at night when they walk in to the said dung heaps to feed on the insects therein.
Sometimes, especially towards the end of the year, they gather together into sizeable flocks which in English are called "Apparitions"; the name describes both their rarity and the ease with which one can see through or miss them!
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