Numenius arquata
The Eurasian Curlew (Numenius arquata) is the largest and arguably most iconic wader of the Palearctic, immediately identifiable by its extraordinarily long, distinctly downward-curved bill. Adults typically measure 50-60 cm in length with an impressive wingspan of 80-100 cm and a weight range of 575-1000g. Its mottled brown and buff plumage, with a paler, streaked underside and a characteristic V-shaped pattern on its back when at rest, provides excellent camouflage. A member of the Scolopac...
Breeds in open, damp grasslands, bogs, wet meadows, and agricultural fields; winters in coastal estuaries, mudflats, saltmarshes, and sheltered bays, typically at low elevations.
Their diet primarily consists of marine and terrestrial invertebrates, including worms, crabs, mollusks, and insect larvae, supplemented by berries and seeds, all obtained by specialized deep probing.
Eurasian Curlews are primarily diurnal, actively foraging during daylight hours and often gathering in large communal roosts on high ground or coastal mudflats at high tide. Their characteristic foraging technique involves deep probing into soft soil or mud with their highly sensitive, long bills...
The Eurasian Curlew boasts an expansive Palearctic breeding range, extending from the United Kingdom and Western Europe eastward across Northern and Central Europe, Scandinavia, and Russia, through Siberia to Mongolia. Three subspecies are recognized: N. a. arquata (western Palearctic), N. a. ori...
Vulnerable
- The Eurasian Curlew possesses the longest bill, relative to its body size, of any wader species in Europe, enabling it to reach deeply buried prey. - Both its common name and its specific scientific epithet, 'arquata' (Latin for 'bow-shaped'), directly refer to its distinctive, downcurved bill....