The long legs of the Cape Curlew help it move across the ground covered with herbaceous plants and bushes. It is a bird that prefers walking to flying and, on rare occasions, makes long flights. When this happens, it is usually in search of water.
It has a short, yellowish-brown beak and an arrow-shaped head. Females and males look similar; even juveniles resemble adults, except that they have gray freckles on the wings and other regions of the body. The brown and white colors of the plumage serve as camouflage.
When faced with danger, it crouches on the ground and remains motionless, going unnoticed.
Their large yellow eyes are adapted to their twilight habits: during the day they appear calm, while as the light falls they become more active and noisy. Although aggression is not a dominant trait in these birds, males become aggressive and territorial when protecting juveniles.
During the reproductive season, a nuptial procession takes place that is made up of various movements and arches of the body, along with a clash of beaks. They build nests on the ground using dry branches and small stones, in which they lay between 1 and 3 eggs. The couple takes turns incubating them, although it is the mother who dedicates more hours to this task. The chicks will fly at 7-8 weeks.