Far Eastern Curlew

Numenius madagascariensis(Linnaeus, 1766)

Also known asGarridjawul

Critically EndangeredNative

Order: CHARADRIIFORMES
Family: Scolopacidae
Genus: Numenius

Conservation: Critically Endangered
Commonness: Rare
Best seen: Year-round

01 · Identification

How to tell it apart

The Far Eastern curlew is a large wader most similar in appearance to the long-billed curlew, but slightly larger. It is mostly brown, differentiated from other curlews by its plain, unpatterned brown underwing, and brown rump. It is not only the largest curlew but probably the world's largest sandpiper, at 60–66 cm (24–26 in) in length and 110 cm (43 in) across the wings. The weight is 390–1,350 g (0.86–2.98 lb), which is equalled by the Eurasian curlew; females are on average about 100 g heavier than males. The extremely long bill, at 12.8–20.1 cm (5.0–7.9 in) in length, rivals the bill size of the closely related long-billed curlew as the longest bill for a sandpiper. It overlaps in range with the eastern subspecies of the Eurasian curlew Numenius arquata orientalis, from which it is most easily told by its brown rump and lower back, rather than white.

Description · wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

02 · Where

Where to find it

Breeding range: Inland wetlands of subarctic to temperate north-east Palearctic: east-central Siberia to Kamchatka and Ussuriland (south-east Russia) and Heilongjiang (north-east China)
Non-breeding range: Coastal subtropical to tropical east Asia: Ryukyu Is. (=Nansei Shoto, south Japan), Taiwan, south-east coastal China, Philippines, east Vietnam, Malay Pen., Indonesian Arch., south and south-east New Guinea, Australia, Tasmania, North and South is. (New Zealand)

03 · When