Birds Posters
Curlews
Curlew is the common name for the bird genus Numenius, a group of eight wader species, characterised by a long slender downcurved bill and mainly brown plumage with little seasonal change.
They are one of the most ancient lineages of scolopacid waders, together with the godwits which look similar but have straight bills.
The long-billed curlew is the largest shorebird in North America.
Adults actively defend their eggs and young by pretending to be injured and leading the predator away.
They will also use vocalization to drive away a predator and will sometimes dive at predators.
It has been known as "sicklebird" and "candlestick bird." Candlestick Point in San Francisco was named after this indigenous bird.
The Bristle-thighed Curlew is the only shorebird to have a completely flightless period during their molt.
This strategy undoubtedly evolved long ago, in response to the absence of any mammalian predators on its Pacific island wintering grounds.
They were first described during James Cook's visits to Tahiti in the 18th century, but their summer nesting grounds weren't identified until 1948.
The Little Curlew is also called Little Whimbrel and Pygmy or Baby Curlew.
When alarmed, they either stand tall and erect or crouch in the grass.
The Eskimo Curlew, first described by Johann Reinhold Forster in 1772, is critically endangered, and possibly extinct.
It is also known as the Prairie Pigeon, Fute, Little Curlew, Doe-bird and Doughbird.
At one time, it may have been one of the most numerous shorebirds in North America with a population in the millions.
As many as 2 million birds per year were killed near the end of the 19th century.
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.