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resident
Red-listedWaders
Eurasian Curlew
The UK's largest wader, famous for its long, downcurved bill and haunting, bubbling song. Curlews are birds of moorland, wet grassland and coastal mudflats, and their decline is a conservation concern.
Numenius arquata
Coastal Wetlands Farmland Open country
Size
48-57 cm
Wingspan
80-100 cm
Weight
575-1,000 g
Lifespan
10-15 years
Diet
Worms, shellfish, crabs and insects; uses its long bill to probe deep into mud and soil.
Song & Call
A haunting, bubbling 'cur-lee' call and a rising, whistling song on breeding grounds.
Tap play to listen0:00
Speed
Visualizer
Recording by Pascal Christe · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons
How to identify
- Very long downcurved bill
- Mottled brown plumage
- Pale underside
- Long legs
Conservation
Red-listed
Red-listed; breeding numbers have fallen steeply due to habitat loss and predation pressures.
