Long-billed Curlew
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| Long-billed Curlew Conservation status: Lower risk | ||||||||||||||
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| Numenius americanus (Bechstein, 1812) |
The Long-billed Curlew, Numenius americanus, is a very large shorebird.
Adults have a very long bill curved downwards, a long neck and a small head. The head, neck and underparts are light brown. The back is dark brown. They show cinnamon wing linings in flight.
Their breeding habitat is grasslands in central western North America. Nests are located on the ground in open prairie. The female usually lays 4 eggs. Both parents look after the young.
They are short distance migrants and winter on coasts in the southern United States south to Mexico.
These birds forage in fields, picking up food by sight, also by probing. They mainly eat insects, but also eat crustaceans in coastal areas.
The population was significantly reduced at the end of the 19th century by hunting. Numbers have rebounded somewhat in more recent times.