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Curlew Numenius arquata [Linnaeus, 1758]
Other Names
Trends & Distribution
Breeding & Survival
Biometrics
Books & Links
Order:
Charadriiformes
Family:
Scolopacidae
BTO Codes:
CU , CURLE
EURING No:
5410
Number in Britain:
105 thousand pairs (Summer)
Conservation Status:
UK:
AMBER
European:
2 Concern, most in Europe; Declining
Global:
Near Threatened
( Details )
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Status in UK:
(A) Migrant/Resident Breeder, Passage/Winter Visitor
Subspecies:
arquata recorded in Britain (of 3 subsp. in the world)
.
Length:
55 cm
Wingspan:
90 cm
Weight:
M: 770 g F: 1000 g
Scientific name from:
Gr.: neos =new + mene =moon (i.e. crescent-shaped)
and L.: arcuatus =bow-shaped
World Distribution:
BREEDS: n&c Eurasia, WINTERS: S Europe, S Asia, Africa & Indonesia
Habitat:
Marsh, grassland, on migration mudflats
Diet:
Omnivorous, though principally invertebrates located by touch
TitBit:
The curlew's onomatopeoic call is one of the most evocative and distinctive of calls - "I take my gladness in the cry of the gannet/and the sound of the curlew instead of the laughter of men" are lines from the poem The Seafarer which exists in manu
script from AD 1000, but probably orginated much earlier
Population and Distribution
Population Trend:
Regional Trends:
Distribution:
New Atlas )
British Population Size:
Summer:
105 thousand pairs
in 1985-99
Note: Best estimate
Winter:
147 thousand individuals
in 1994-99
First Record:
11th Century
[Fossil evidence from
Devensian (last) glaciation, 10-120,000 yr ago]
Habitat Occupancy (in the Breeding Season):
Most frequent in:
Moorland
Also common in:
Marsh
And found in:
Bog, Grass/Heath
Relative Frequency in Each Habitat:
European Population Size:
Summer:
170 to 240 thousand pairs
Birds in Europe
Listed on the Appendices/Schedules of:
WBD(II*), Bern(III), Bonn(II), AEWA
Survey Results:
Breeding and Survival
Egg Size:
68 x 48 mm
Egg Weight:
76.0 g (of which 6 % is shell)
Number of Nest Records:
56
(more would be welcome!)
Clutch Size:
4 eggs
3.72 ± 0.58 (2 - 6) N = 827
Incubation:
27 - 29 days
by the:
Female (occ. Male)
Fledging:
32 - 38 days
as:
Precocial, downy
First Clutches Laid:
2 May (17 Apr - 31 May)
Number of Broods:
1
Trends in Breeding Productivity
Number Ringed:
870
Adult Survival:
0.736
Juvenile Survival:
0.47 (in First-Year)
Age at First Breeding:
2
years
Typical Lifespan:
5
years
Maximum Recorded Age:
31yr5m
(Sweden: 31yr 6m)
Biometrics
Ring Size:
F
Wing Length
Sexually dimorphic (female much larger than male)
Male:
295.1 ± 10.6
280 - 310 mm, N =95
Female:
310.3 ± 10.0
290 - 325 mm, N =96
Weight
Sexually dimorphic (female much larger than male)
Male:
716.0 ± 67.97
632.0 - 842.0 g , N =66
Female:
851.8 ± 89.04 .
710.0 - 985.0 g , N =62
Source:
British Trust for Ornithology (2005) Ringing Scheme data
Other Names
Eurasian Curlew
Gaelic:
Guilbneach
Welsh:
Gylfinir
Danish:
Stor regnspove
Dutch:
Wulp
Finnish:
Isokuovi
French:
Courlis cendré
German:
Großer Brachvogel
Hungarian:
Nagy póling
Icelandic:
Fjöruspói
Irish:
Crotach
Italian:
Chiurlo
Norwegian:
Storspove
Polish:
Kulik wielki
Portuguese:
Maçarico-real
Spanish:
Zarapito real
Swedish:
Storspov
Local Names: Whaup
Collective Noun: Herd
For More Information...
Books and Monographs:
Nethersole-Thompson, D. & M. 1986 Waders, their breeding, haunts and watchers Poyser, London
[598.6 NET]
Cotter, G. 1990 The Curlew Shire Publications, Princes Risborough
[Jour: S]
See Also:
BirdFacts home | BTO Home birdfacts@bto.org These data should be cited as:
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