Long-billed Curlew
Numenius americanus
Huge shorebird with incredibly long, decurved bill. Buffy overall with brighter cinnamon wings, especially obvious in flight. Occurs in open fields, marshes, and beaches in western North America; can be seen singly or in flocks. Exceptional bill length and shape usually rules out other large shorebirds like Marbled Godwit or Whimbrel, although note that juveniles (especially males) have shorter bills than adults. Also note lack of dark head stripes and blue-gray legs. Listen for “cur-lee!” call.
Identification
The long-billed curlew is the largest sandpiper of regular occurrence in North America. It is 50–65 cm (20–26 in) long, .mw-parser-output .frac{white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output .frac .num,.mw-parser-output .frac .den{font-size:80%;line-height:0;vertical-align:super}.mw-parser-output .frac .den{vertical-align:sub}.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);clip-path:polygon(0px 0px,0px 0px,0px 0px);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px}62–90 cm (24+1⁄2–35+1⁄2 in) across the wing and weighs 490–950 g (1 lb 1+1⁄2 oz – 2 lb 1+1⁄2 oz). Its disproportionally long bill curves downward and measures 11.3–21.9 cm (4+1⁄2–8+5⁄8 in), and rivals the bill of the larger-bodied Far Eastern curlew as the longest bill of any shorebird. Individuals have a long neck and a small head. The neck and underparts are a light cinnamon in color, while the crown is streaked with brown. This species exhibits reversed sexual dimorphism, as in many sandpipers, the female being larger and having a much longer bill than the male's.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Numenius americanus
- Authority
- Bechstein, 1812
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Scolopacidae
- Genus
- Numenius
Range and habitat
- Breeding range
- NA : inland grassland of temperate wc North America: s British Columbia e to sw Saskatchewan (sw, sc Canada) and s to ne California, ne New Mexico and nw Nebraska (sw, wc USA)
- Non-breeding range
- coastal and inland s USA, Mexico, and w Central America: California, coastal se USA, coastal and inland Mexico to c Panama (e North Pacific) and to w Yucatan Pen. (e Mexico; w North Atlantic)
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Conservation
The population was significantly reduced at the end of the 19th century by hunting, though numbers have rebounded somewhat in more-recent times. The species was formerly classified as Near Threatened by the IUCN, but new research has confirmed that the long-billed curlew is again common and widespread. Consequently, it has been downlisted to Least Concern status in 2008.<p>Candlestick Point in San Francisco was named after this indigenous bird, and subsequently Candlestick Park stadium inherited the name. The species had dramatically declined in the San Francisco area by the early 20th century already, being "practically extinct" in San Mateo County in 1916. By the time the stadium was constructed in the 1950s, there was no remnant of the huge, local flocks of "candlestick birds" left.<p>The long-billed curlew was also formerly a plentiful wintering bird on the East Coast of the United States, and John James Audubon's painting of the species was in fact of individuals he sighted near Charleston, South Carolina. However, market hunting and breeding habitat loss nearly wiped out this population, and presently only a small "ghost" or relict population of less than a hundred birds still winters on the East Coast, and this population has yet to recover. It is possible that this wintering population may have consisted largely of now-extirpated birds that bred on the eastern Great Plains, and the disappearance of those birds may tie in to the near disappearance of the Atlantic wintering population, with the present Atlantic wintering population being the descendants of the last survivors of the eastern Great Plains breeders. In December 2015, one such "ghost bird" was successfully captured off the coast of Georgia and fitted with a satellite tag with plans to analyze its migration routes, with it taking flight in April 2016.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Gorgeted Wood-Quail
Odontophorus strophium
Scarce quail restricted to cloud forest in the northern half of Colombia’s eastern Andes. Adult has distinctive black and white crescents on the throat, which may be reduced or lacking in young birds. Male has chestnut underparts and white spots on the breast; female has gray underparts. Shy and not often seen, but with luck it may be encountered in small groups that walk on the forest floor. Song is like that of other wood-quails, a long and rollicking series of whistles.
Austral Thrush
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Common and familiar bird of southern South America, found in town parks, gardens, woodlands, forests, matorral, and other semiopen habitats, usually in areas with taller trees nearby. Feeds mainly on the ground, often on lawns, and also in fruiting bushes and trees. Fall and winter flocks can number the hundreds. Plumage is not very colorful, but bright yellow bill is often striking. Male has a blacker head and darker upperparts than the female. Juvenile has a duller bill with dark spotting on underparts.
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