Defensive curlew on Magnetic Island. Vallis photo
The wonderful Stone Curlew , with its large head , fathomless eyes , has a distinctive wail at night . It cries, it is said, for lost or dead children. Others say it is the Devil Bird, its cry announcing the death of somebody , a dreadful event . A Darwin resident surprised by describing curlews as ” those broken - legged birds” , because of the way their long legs are jointed and fold forward enabling a prone position, as they blend into the background .
Headed Authentic Life Record of a Stone Curlew, an April 27, 1934 letter from W.H.Kinsela, Member of NSW Anthopological Society , Australian Museum , has surfaced
which contains information about the longevity of the bird...
In Rockdale , a suburb of
Sydney, an old resident of the district, whom I have known personally for some
years, keeps a fine specimen of a Stone Curlew, which readily answers to the
name of "Curly". Towards the end of this year (1934) he will
celebrate his twenty-ninth birthday. As far as Mr. J. R. Kinghorn,
ornithologist of the Australian Museum, knows, no other bird of this species
has reached this age in captivity in Australia.
This bird came from Alstonville, on the Richmond
River, near Casino, NSW, In his third year he was brought to Sydney, his days
from then on being spent in three different suburbs. During his life he has
always been allowed absolute freedom in the garden, keeping guard about the
house like a faithful hound, every now and then giving forth that mournful cry
so characteristic of these birds.
Despite his seasonal
attacks of rheumatism and gout (or whatever old birds get!),
he seems good to pace his domain for several more years yet, to meet the
stranger at the gate with that watchful twinkle in his eye which belies his
real age, 21. ( Ed.- Joke) This record I can state as
absolutely authentic: I have watched the Curlew myself for over 20 years.
