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  1. Species
  2. ›
  3. Scolopacidae
  4. ›
  5. Numenius
  6. ›
  7. Little Curlew
Little Curlew
Photo · (c) Ged Tranter, some rights reserved (CC BY)

BirdUp · Species

Little Curlew

Numenius minutusGould, 1841

Updated 21 March 2026

Origin: Native
Order
CHARADRIIFORMES
Family
Scolopacidae
Genus
Numenius

At a glance

The Little Curlew is a medium-sized bird, about 28–31 cm long, native to Australia. It can be seen year-round.

Size
28–31 cm
Origin
Native
Best seen
Year-round
Commonness
Very common
  • Identification
  • Where
  • When
  • Behaviour
  • Gallery

01 · Identification

How to tell it apart

What does a Little Curlew look like?

The Little Curlew is a medium-sized bird, about 28–31 cm long and weighing 118–221 g.

The little curlew is a wader in the large bird family Scolopacidae. It is a very small curlew, which breeds in the far north of Siberia. It is closely related to the North American Eskimo curlew.

Description · wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Field specs

Length
28–31 cm
Weight
118–221 g
Wingspan
68 cm

Measurements · avonet · CC BY 4.0

03 · When

When to look

When can you see a Little Curlew?

The Little Curlew is present across its Australian range year-round, so it can be seen in any month.

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

05 · Behaviour

Habits and haunts

What does a Little Curlew eat?

The Little Curlew feeds on seeds, terrestrial invertebrates and intertidal invertebrates, usually foraging in flocks.

06 · Gallery

Plumage up close

4 photos

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02 · Where

Where to find it

Where does the Little Curlew live in Australia?

The Little Curlew is native to Australia, recorded across 53 of Australia’s bioregions, with a core range spanning patchily in subarctic taiga of west-central to east-central Siberia.

BreedingPatchily in subarctic taiga of west-central to east-central Siberia

Non-breedingCoastal and inland Trans-Fly (south-central New Guinea), Port Moresby area (south-east New Guinea) and north Australia to west-central and east-central coasts

Distribution from BirdUp Australia community data

Legend

  • Breeding
  • Resident

8 regions recorded