Bird Album
Eurasian Curlew
Numenius arquata (Linnaeus, 1758)
50–60 cmLength97 cmWingspan803 gWeight
This is the largest wader within its range, with gray-brown plumage and a very long, curved bill.
Busiest months: January, April and August–October · Most records: United Kingdom, Spain, China
Looks like Eurasian Whimbrel, Bar-tailed Godwit
How to identify
Field marks
- Bill very long and curved
- Gray-rufous overall
- Legs and feet gray-blue
- Feet project beyond the tail in flight, forming a point
Male, female and young
Sexes identical in appearance, but adult female has a longer bill.
Voice
A loud “curloo-oo”.
Similar species
Eurasian Whimbrel is smaller, with a shorter, kinked bill rather than the smoothly curved bill of Eurasian Curlew.
May look similar in flight in winter plumage; Bar-tailed Godwit is smaller, with a slightly upturned bill, and its legs and feet do not project beyond the tail tip.
Where and when it's recorded
Eurasian Curlew has been recorded at 1,707 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 128 countries and regions.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Titchwell Marsh RSPB ReserveUnited Kingdom6,911 records
- Txingudi – PlaiaundiSpain4,918 records
- Spurn Bird Observatory Recording AreaUnited Kingdom3,484 records
More places
- Mai Po Nature ReserveHong Kong (China)2,627 records
- Cley & Salthouse Marshes NWT NR – Cley Marshes including Hides and Visitor CentreUnited Kingdom2,516 records
- East Tilbury River and MarshesUnited Kingdom2,174 records
- North ForelandUnited Kingdom2,162 records
- WWT Slimbridge Wetland CentreUnited Kingdom2,087 records
- Frampton Marsh RSPB ReserveUnited Kingdom2,041 records
- Rainham Marshes RSPB Reserve, SSSI and LNRUnited Kingdom1,954 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
The Eurasian curlew or common curlew (Numenius arquata) is a very large wader in the family Scolopacidae. It is one of the most widespread of the curlews, breeding across temperate Europe and Asia. In Europe, this species is often referred to just as the "curlew", and in Scotland known as the "whaup" in Scots.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Eurasian Curlew?
The Eurasian Curlew is about 50–60 cm long, with a wingspan of 97 cm and weighs around 803 g.
Where does the Eurasian Curlew live?
Its breeding range: Palearctic: subarctic and temperate Palearctic wetlands, meadows: Faroe Islands, British Isles, Scandinavia south to southern France, east through northern Kazakhstan and (locally) northern Mongolia to Transbaikalia (northeastern Russia), Inner Mongolia and Heilongjiang (northeastern China). It is most often recorded in United Kingdom, Spain and China.
When is the best time to see the Eurasian Curlew?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in January, April, August, September and October (Northern Hemisphere).
Is the Eurasian Curlew endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Eurasian Curlew as Near Threatened.
What does the Eurasian Curlew eat?
Main food: Fish, shrimp & shellfish.
What family is the Eurasian Curlew in?
It belongs to the family Sandpipers, Snipes (Scolopacidae), order Charadriiformes.
At a glance
- Length
- 50–60 cm
- Wingspan
- 97 cm
- Weight
- 803 g
- Habitat
- Grassland
- Diet
- Fish, shrimp & shellfish
- Lifestyle
- Active on the ground
- Migration
- Migratory
- Conservation
- Near Threatened
More measurements
- Wing
- 292 mm
- Tail
- 111 mm
- Bill
- 146 mm
- Tarsus
- 83 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Palearctic: subarctic and temperate Palearctic wetlands, meadows: Faroe Islands, British Isles, Scandinavia south to southern France, east through northern Kazakhstan and (locally) northern Mongolia to Transbaikalia (northeastern Russia), Inner Mongolia and Heilongjiang (northeastern China)
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Subspecies · 1
- Numenius arquata orientalis w, c Siberia to Manchuria | non-breeding: Mediterranean, Africa and s, se Asia
Classification
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Sandpipers, Snipes Scolopacidae
- Genus
- Numenius
Other birds in the genus Numenius
Bristle-thighed CurlewNumenius tahitiensisEurasian WhimbrelNumenius phaeopus
Hudsonian WhimbrelNumenius hudsonicus
Little CurlewNumenius minutus
Eskimo CurlewNumenius borealis
Long-billed CurlewNumenius americanus
Far Eastern CurlewNumenius madagascariensis
Slender-billed CurlewNumenius tenuirostris
Upland SandpiperBartramia longicaudaBar-tailed GodwitLimosa lapponica
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Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Andreas Trepte. ↗
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