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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 )
Links to: Images Videos Sound

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:	Wider Countryside Report
	Regional Trends:	Scotland Wales England English Regions
	Distribution:	Atlas Maps (Help with the New Atlas) BBS Maps

British Population Size:

Summer: 105 thousand pairs in 1985-99 Note: Best estimate Baker, H. et al. (2006) British Birds 99:25-44

Winter: 147 thousand individuals in 1994-99 Baker, H. et al. (2006) British Birds 99:25-44

First Record: 11th Century [Fossil evidence from Devensian (last) glaciation, 10-120,000 yr ago]

Conservation Status: AMBER because Species of European Concern, Recent Breeding Population Decline, Important Breeding Population Important Non-breeding Population Eaton, M.A. et al. 2009. British Birds 102:296-341

Eaton, M.A. et al. 2009. British Birds 102:296-341

Previous Assessments: 2002-2007 AMBER Gregory, R.D. et al. 2002. British Birds 95:410-448

1996-2001 AMBER Gibbons, D.W. et al. 1996. RSPB Conservation Review 10:7-18

Races of Concern: arquata AMBER (Recent Decline)

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 Bufield, I. & Van Bommel, F. (2004) Birds in Europe. Birdlife International, Cambridge.

Population Assesment from Birds in Europe

Distribution in Europe

Listed on the Appendices/Schedules of: WBD(II*), Bern(III), Bonn(II), AEWA

Survey Results:	Winter Farmland Bird Survey
	Wetland Bird Survey Alerts


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 - 38days		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 ± 0.025
Juvenile Survival: 0.470 (in First-Year)

Age at First Breeding: 2 years	Typical Lifespan: 5 years
Maximum Recorded Age: 31yr 5m (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: Storspove	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...

Selected books on this species [number in square braces is the BTO library classmark, if it is held]

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:

Wikipedia entry

State of the Nations Birds by Chris Mead

BOU Register of Avian Theses entry

Recent sightings and information from BirdGuides.com

Selected scientific papers published 1980-2005

Find more papers on Google Scholar

Find more papers on Scirus


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These data should be cited as: Robinson, R.A. (2005) BirdFacts: profiles of birds occurring in Britain & Ireland (v1.24, June 2009). BTO Research Report 407, BTO, Thetford (http://www.bto.org/birdfacts)		© British Trust for Ornithology, The Nunnery, Thetford, Norfolk IP24 2PU, UK. Terms and Conditions \| Privacy Statement Registered Charity Number 216652.
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