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Eurasian Curlew (Numenius arquata) German name(s): "Großer Brachvogel" Size: 50-60 cm; wing span 0.8-1.0 m Body mass: 680-1000 g (male), 830-1360 g (female) Wing loading [g/cm2]: 0.61/0.90 (male, lean/fat), 0.67/1.10 (female, lean/fat)

Europe: Family Group 8 Family Group 8 Table Ruddy Turnstone Common Snipe Eurasian Woodcock Bar-tailed Godwit Black-tailed Godwit Eurasian Curlew Whimbrel Little Curlew Sanderling Temminck's Stint Little Stint Dunlin Purple Sandpiper Marsh Sandpiper Common Greenshank Common Redshank Spotted Redshank Lesser Yellowlegs Wood Sandpiper Curlew Sandpiper Common Sandpiper Green Sandpiper Buff-breasted Sandpiper Ruff Thumbnails page Family group table Index of bird names European birds home page

Similar species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Eurasian Curlews are big, long-billed shorebirds. They have a brown, scalloped front (head, neck, chest and belly), while the vent is off-white. The wings are boldly scalloped light and dark-brown. The uppertail is barred. Their plumage is cryptic, i.e. camouflaged, against the background of a mudflat. The irises are dark. The dark-grey bill is long and curved downwards, with a lighter, pinkish base of the lower mandible. Females have a longer bill than males. The legs and feet are grey. Juveniles are browner than adults and have a shorter bill. Twitcher's tip Compared to Eastern Curlews, which have a dark-brown rump, Eurasian Curlews have a light-brown rump. The correct identification of waders ("shorebirds"), e.g. of the Calidris, Tringa, Actitis etc. or of the Charadrius, Pluvialis and related genera in the field can be quite tricky. We have therefore made an attempt to give some advice HERE. "Raptors" (or "birds of prey"), most prominently, but also some species of waders, show a pronounced "dimorphism", i.e. a difference between male and female birds - not just in the appearance of the plumage, but in other, important properties, such as size or strength. Here we explain why.

Taxonomy, classification See Eurasian Curlew at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Eurasian Curlew is available HERE . There are 3 races of Eurasian Curlews, which are a partly migratory species. Altogether, their breeding areas lie in western, central and northern Europe (race "arquata"), in western and central Siberia and further to the East in north-eastern China (race "orientalis") and from western Kazakhstan to southwestern Siberia (race "schuschkini"). Many birds, in particular in the southern parts of their breeding ranges, can be sedentary. Others, mostly from the northern parts of the breeding range, will spend the winters further South, e.g. around the western European and Mediterranean coastline or parts of the North-African coastline. There are also wintering grounds on the East coast of the Black Sea, the South coast of the Caspian Sea and around the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf, around the Indian subcontinent and into parts of South-east Asia. In the far East there are wintering areas along the coastline of China, Taiwan, Korea and Japan. They are less commonly found in the south-eastern Asian island nations. In Europe Eurasian Curlews, race "arquata", are found primarily in western, central and northern Europe, with very few records farther East than the Baltic states, Finland and the North coast of the Black Sea. Northward of the Alps and the Pyrenees, they are found both as permanent residents and as breeding migrants, whereas around the Mediterranean Sea they are either permanent residents or winter visitors. The major areas where Eurasian Curlews, race "arquata", are found are the British Isles, the German and Benelux countries' North Sea coastal fringe, the French and Iberian coastlines and, to a lesser degree, inland mostly lake districts and other prominent wetland areas, such as e.g. in southern Finland, the Hungarian Pusta and the area to the North of the Alps. Outside the breeding season Eurasian Curlews are often found in coastal habitats, such as beaches, estuaries and mudflats. During the breeding season they are more common around fresh water, in swamps and marshes.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "arquata" D. Wilczynska reports spotting Eurasian Curlews, race "arquata", in wetlands along the river Bug, near Brok, Masovia, Poland, in March 2017, and again in May 2018. J. Pires reports finding Eurasian Curlews, race "arquata", semi-regularly from August to April in various locations in near-coastal southern to central Portugal, where they overwinter. The species was found on the Azores in November 2018 as well. M. Eaton found a Eurasian Curlew, race "arquata", near Wadebridge, Cornwall, England, in September 2019. H. Dahlem-Senger found a Eurasian Curlew, race "arquata", on Spiekeroog, Ostfriesland, Germany, in June 2021. Another was spotted at Neuharlingersiel, Ostfriesland, Germany, in September 2024. C. Pears spotted a Eurasian Curlew, race "arquata", at Clonakilty, County Cork, Ireland, in August 2023. A. Sarok found Eurasian Curlews, race "arquata", in Vojvodina, Serbia, in the timeframe 2010-2024. Race "orientalis" Eurasian Curlews, race "orientalis" were found by us in Oman.

Photos

Race "arquata"

ADULT

PAIR

Lateral views of Eurasian Curlews
Many bird species exhibit sexual dimorphism, i.e., male and female have differing appearances which can be quite subtle.
The distinction between the sexes of Eurasian Curlews is made by assessing the length of the bill in comparison with the size of the head. Males, above, have a shorter bill than females.
(photos courtesy of J. Pires)
[Obidos, Leiria, Portugal, February 2023]

MALE

Near-dorsal view of a Eurasian Curlew, based on the length of the bill probably a male (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[River Bug, near Brok, Masovia, Poland, May 2018]

Near-dorsal view of a male(?) Eurasian Curlew (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Near Wadebridge, Cornwall, England, September 2019]

Eurasian Curlews feeding in a partially submerged meadow; the bird on the right is likely a male
(photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[River Bug, near Brok, Masovia, Poland, March 2017]

Lateral view of a male Eurasian Curlew gaining altitude (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Sado river estuary, Setubal, Portugal, May 2025]

Near-dorsal view of a male Eurasian Curlew in flight (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Sado river estuary, Setubal, Portugal, August 2022]

FEMALE

Frontal view of a Eurasian Curlew, probably a female - note the very long bill (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[River Bug, near Brok, Masovia, Poland, March 2017]

Near-dorsal view of a female Eurasian Curlew (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Tejo estuary, Alhos Vedros, Moita, Setubal, Portugal, January 2025]

Lateral view of a female Eurasian Curlew banking to land (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Obidos, Leiria, Portugal, February 2023]

Eurasian Curlews feeding in a partially submerged meadow; most likely the bird on the right is a female - note the very long bill
(photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[River Bug, near Brok, Masovia, Poland, March 2017]

Eurasian Curlews feeding in shallow water; most likely the birds on the left and right are females - note the long bills
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Obidos, Leiria, Portugal, April 2019]

Sex unknown

Lateral view of a small mob of Eurasian Curlews (photo courtesy of A. Sarok)
[Vojvodina, Serbia, date unknown]

Near-dorsal view of a Eurasian Curlew spreading its wings (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[River Bug, near Brok, Masovia, Poland, March 2017]

Near-dorsal view of a Eurasian Curlew (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Quinta de Marim, Ria Formosa, Olhao, Algarve, Portugal, November 2021]

Lateral view of a small flock of Eurasian Curlews in flight (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Sado river estuary, Setubal, Portugal, August 2022]

Near-dorsal view of a Eurasian Curlew in flight (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[San Jorge Island, Azores, November 2018]

Dorsal view of a Eurasian Curlew banking to land (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[San Jorge Island, Azores, November 2018]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Adult Eurasian Curlew, left, with a juvenile (photos courtesy of J. Pires)
[Obidos, Leiria, Portugal, February 2023]

Race "orientalis"

We have photographed Eurasian Curlews, race "orientalis", in Oman.

Food, Diet

Behaviour

Social behaviour: ?

Mobility: Partially migratory

Elementary unit: Solitary/mob/flock

In Europe, Eurasian Curlews are sedentary along the German/Dutch North Sea coastline and along the western coastal fringe of the British Isles. Elsewhere they are migratory, overwintering around the coastal fringe of Bay of Biscaye, Iberia and the Mediterranean and breeding in central, northern and eastern Europe.

Eurasian Curlew swallowing its prey (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[River Bug, near Brok, Masovia, Poland, May 2018]

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

curlew_dw_20200604.m4a	(Poland)	Contact calls(?)	© DW
curlew_jp_20200720.m4a	(Portugal)	Contact calls? (Q&A)	© JP
curlew_jp_20200314.m4a	(Portugal)	?	© JP

More Eurasian Curlew sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

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