Wildlifeof Bhutan
Eurasian Curlew
Shorebirds
Photo: Joanne Goldby · CC BY-SA 4.0 (May be cropped or resized)
Numenius arquata
Basic stats
Diet
Small invertebrates from soft mud; also small crabs and earthworms
Habitat
Nests in a bare scrape in meadow or similar habitat
Range
Breeds across temperate Europe and Asia; winters in Africa, southern Europe and southern Asia
Clutch size
4 eggs
Incubation period
About four weeks
Size
50–60cm
Wingspan
89–106cm
Weight
410–1,360g
The Eurasian curlew is a very large wader, 50 to 60cm long with a wingspan of 89 to 106cm and a weight of 410 to 1,360g. It is mainly greyish brown, with a white back, greyish-blue legs and a very long curved bill. Males and females look alike, though the bill is longest in the adult female. The whimbrel is smaller with a shorter, kinked bill (Wikipedia, general species account).
The familiar call is a loud 'curloo-oo'. It is a migratory species over most of its range, wintering in Africa, southern Europe and southern Asia, and is highly gregarious outside the breeding season. It feeds by probing soft mud for small invertebrates. Four eggs are laid in April or May and both adults incubate them for four weeks. The sources read do not describe it in Bhutan.
Quick answers
- What does the Eurasian Curlew eat?
- Small invertebrates from soft mud; also small crabs and earthworms
- What habitat does the Eurasian Curlew live in?
- Nests in a bare scrape in meadow or similar habitat
- Where is the Eurasian Curlew found?
- Breeds across temperate Europe and Asia; winters in Africa, southern Europe and southern Asia
- How many eggs does the Eurasian Curlew lay?
- 4 eggs
- How long are the eggs of the Eurasian Curlew incubated?
- About four weeks
- How big is the Eurasian Curlew?
- 50–60cm
- What is the wingspan of the Eurasian Curlew?
- 89–106cm
- How much does the Eurasian Curlew weigh?
- 410–1,360g