Stone-curlew

🔍 Overview

A rare visitor to Sussex, the Stone-curlew is more typical of chalk grassland and heath in eastern and southern England. Scarce breeding summer visitor and passage migrant.

🪶 Key Identification Features

Big yellow eyes and thick yellow legs

Cryptically patterned and hunched posture

Nocturnal tendencies

🗺️ Habitat & Distribution

Very rare in Sussex—occasional sightings in Ashdown Forest, South Downs, or coastal fields. Best chance in spring or autumn.

🎶 Voice & Behaviour

Strange, eerie calls at night. Stands still when alarmed and hard to spot due to camouflage.