is also strongly streaked with dark brown over white and buff feathers. The total length of the species, including a bill around 45 mm and tail 180 mm, is 550 mm; the wingspan approaches 1 m across. Black flight feathers on the wing reveal a light buff patch when extended, and the plumage has a light area at the shoulder. The head is distinguished by a band of dark feathers over the eye and down the neck, and a buff colour at the forehead and brow over the eye. The iris is bright yellow; bare skin near the eye is black. The long legs of the species are an olive-green colour, and the bill is darkish in tone. The sexes are similar, with juveniles displaying a paler plumage that otherwise resembles the adults. This stone-curlew's voice is loud and can be heard at a great distance. The call of "weeloo" has an eerie and plaintive tone and is a familiar sound of the night in the Australian bush. The frequency of calls increases when weather conditions are changing, especially when rain is approaching an area. Several individuals may join their voices in chorus, greatly intensifying the extraordinary quality of their nocturnal calling. The coloration of the eggshell is generally a stone grey with brownish blotching, although this is variable and often matches the environment to provide camouflage. Size of the egg is also variable, on average it is 53 × 39 mm, yet differences in nearby nests or between the two eggs of the same brood are recorded. No other Australian bird resembles the bush curlew. Another species of the family, the beach stone-curlew also known as a wee-lo, is distinguished by its plumage and larger bill and is only found at the coast. Confusion with the nightjars is possible, but the species of Caprimulgus are smaller and fly in a different manner. Behaviour Like most stone-curlews, it is mainly nocturnal and specialises in hunting small grassland animals; frogs, spiders, insects, molluscs, crustaceans, snakes, lizards, and small mammals are all taken, mostly gleaned or probed from soft soil or rotting wood; also. a few seeds or tubers are consumed, particularly in drought years. Birds usually forage individually or in pairs over a large home range, particularly on moonlit nights. During the day, bush stone-curlews tend to remain inactive, sheltering amongst tall grass or the shade of shrubs and trees, relying