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
Genus: Numenius; Family: Scolopacidae; Order: Charadriiformes.
- 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).
- 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
Behavior
Migration pattern: Complete migrants.
Conservation
Population trend: declining.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
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