Curlew

Numenius

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Bartramia

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: Numenius redirects here. For the philosopher, see Numenius of Apamea.

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The curlews are a group of eight wader species, characterised by a long slender downcurved bill and mainly brown plumage with little seasonal change. They are related to the godwits, but the latter have straight bills.

Related Topics:
Wader - Plumage - Godwit

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Curlews feed on mud or very soft ground, searching for worms and other invertebrates with their long bills. They will also take crabs and similar items.

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The Upland Sandpiper is an odd bird which is closely related to the curlews, distinguished from them by its yellow legs, long tail and shorter, less curved bill.

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Species are:

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• Family: Scolopacidae (part)
• Numenius
• Little Curlew, Numenius minutus
• Eskimo Curlew, Numenius borealis (probably extinct)
• Whimbrel, Numenius phaeopus
• Bristle-thighed Curlew, Numenius tahitiensis
• Slender-billed Curlew, Numenius tenuirostris (critically endangered)
• Eurasian Curlew, Numenius arquata
• Eastern Curlew, Numenius madagascariensis
• Long-billed Curlew, Numenius americanus
• Bartramia
• Upland Sandpiper, Bartramia longicauda

Note that the stone-curlews are not true curlews (family Scolopacidae) but members of the family Burhinidae, which is in the same order Charadriiformes, but only distantly related within it.

Related Topics:
Stone-curlew - Charadriiformes

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