Far Eastern Curlew

Far Eastern Curlew
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Charadriiformes
Family:	Scolopacidae
Genus:	Numenius
Species:	N. madagascariensis
Binomial name
Numenius madagascariensis (Linnaeus, 1766)

The Far Eastern Curlew or Eastern Curlew (Numenius madagascariensis) is a large shorebird most similar in appearance to the Long-billed Curlew, but slightly larger. It is mostly brown in color, differentiated from other curlews by its plain, unpatterned brown underwing. It is not only the largest curlew but probably the world's largest sandpiper, at 60–66 cm (24–26 in) in length and 110 cm (43 in) across the wings.^[1] The body is reportedly 565–1,150 g (1.25–2.5 lb), which may be equaled by the Eurasian Curlew.^[2] The extremely long bill, at 12.8–20.1 cm (5.0–7.9 in) in length, rivals the bill size of the closely related Long-billed Curlew as the longest bill for a sandpiper.^[1]

Inskip Point, SE Queensland, Australia

The Far Eastern Curlew spends its breeding season in northeastern Asia, including Siberia to Kamchatka, and Mongolia. Its breeding habitat is composed of marshy and swampy wetlands and lakeshores. Most individuals winter in coastal Australia, with a few heading to South Korea, Thailand, and New Zealand, where they stay at estuaries, beaches, and salt marshes. During its migration the Far Eastern Curlew commonly passes the Yellow Sea.

It uses its long, decurved bill to probe for invertebrates in the mud. It may feed in solitary but it generally congregates in large flocks to migrate or roost. Its call is a sharp, clear whistle, cuuue-reee, often repeated.

As of 2006, there are an estimated 38,000 individuals in the world.

Manly Marina, SE Queensland, Australia

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Marchant, Hayman & Prater, Shorebirds (Helm Identification Guide). Christopher Helm (2010)
2. ^ CRC Handbook of Avian Body Masses by John B. Dunning Jr. (Editor). CRC Press (1992), ISBN 978-0849342585.

• O'Brien, Michael et al. (2006). The Shorebird Guide. New York: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0-618-43294-9
• BirdLife International 2004. Numenius madagascariensis. In: 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Accessed 1 December 2006.
• A Yellow Sea species account