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Eurasian Curlew

Numenius arquata

Near Threatened (IUCN Red List)Sandpipers and Allies
Eurasian Curlew, photographed by Odd Rune Falch

Photo: Odd Rune Falch · Pexels · Pexels License (licence)

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Call and song

About the Eurasian Curlew

Scimitar-billed large shorebird of varied open habitats. Note large size, overall brown plumage, and long, decurved bill (appreciably shorter on juvenile). In flight shows white back patch, mostly white underwings. Common call an onomatopoeic "coor-lee." Compare to smaller Whimbrel, which has head stripes, a piping whistled call, and Far Eastern Curlew, which has a buffy rump and extensively marked underwings. Breeds mainly in grasslands, from coastal marshes to upland moors; winters mainly in coastal lowlands, especially mudflats and adjacent marshes.

Species account: eBird.org, fetched 2025-12-26 · How these pages are made

Where it has been recorded

Recorded in 155 of the 253 countries we have eBird lists for. Each opens that country's checklist.

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