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Curlew Numenius arquata   [Linnaeus, 1758]
Other Names Trends & Distribution Breeding & Survival Biometrics Books & Links

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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)
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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 onomatopoeic 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 manuscript 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    (Local Atlases)    BBS Maps
British Population Size:
    Summer: 105 thousand pairs in 1985-99     Note: Best estimate
    Winter: 140 thousand individuals in 2004-09
    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
   Previous Assessments: 2002-2007 AMBER     1996-2001 AMBER  
   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
Population Assesment from Birds in Europe
Distribution in Europe
Listed on the Appendices/Schedules of: WBD(II*), Bern(III), Bonn(II), AEWA
Survey Results: BirdTrack
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 (Annual Totals)
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: 31 years 9 months 25 days (set in 2009)
Summary of Ringing Recoveries       

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...
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:
Find scientific papers on Google Scholar or Scirus by clicking the icon
Wikipedia entry
BirdLife species page
Recent sightings and information from BirdGuides
State of the Nations Birds by Chris Mead
BOU Register of Avian Theses entry