Curlew Biology

The Long-billed Curlew (Numenius americanus) is the largest shorebirds in North America. The Long-billed Curlew is named for its long de-curved bill and “Curluoo” call.  Female's bill is longer than the male's bill.  Both sexes have similar plumages; buff-colored body, tinged with pink or cinnamon; cinnamon-colored under the wing, upper surface contrasting orange-brown, and blue-gray legs.

Size & Weight:  50-65 cm (20-26 inches)      Wingspan: 62-89 cm (24-35 in)      Weight:  490-950 g (17.3-33.54 oz)

Call: Curlews are named after their “cur-lee” calls.  Their call is a two-note whistle, with the second note higher.  Also a rapid “kli-li-li-li.”  Both males and females call.

Habitat: Long-billed Curlews inhabit grasslands during the breeding season.  In the Great Basin, Long-billed Curlews nest in irrigated hayfields.  The birds winter on tidal mudflats primarily in California, Texas, and Mexico during the winter.  They will also use a variety of wetland and agricultural habitats during migration and winter.

VIDEO:  Long-billed Curlew habitat in Nebraska.


Diet: On breeding grounds, Long-billed Curlews eat a variety of invertebrates, including grasshoppers and beetles.  They will also eat bird eggs.  On wintering grounds, the curlew diet consists of crabs, bivalves, worms, shrimp, and insect larvae found in mudflats.  The long bill is adapted for foraging in burrows of the mudflats.

VIDEO:  Long-billed Curlew feeding in Nebraska.


Breeding: Long-billed Curlews do not breed until they are 2-4 years old. Male Long-billed Curlews will perform an aerial display to attract a mate.  Females usually lay a clutch of 4 eggs in a lined scrape on the ground.  Both male and female curlews incubate and aggressively defend their nest.  The eggs hatch synchronously and young leave the nest site within a few hours of hatching.  At a few weeks of age, the young are cared for by the male parent.  Pair bonds are strong and the male and female normally rejoin the next breeding season.  Long-billed Curlews have only 1 brood per year. 

Long-billed Curlew on nest


Range: Long-billed Curlews historically nested as far east as Illinois, but are now limited to the western Great Plains and Intermountain West of North America.  Historical declines were due to habitat loss and unregulated hunting.   Curlews require short-grass and mixed-grasslands for breeding.  In Nebraska, the species is now limited to north-central and western Nebrska where large tracts of native prairie remain.  This currently includes the Nebraska Sandhills and prairies in the panhandle.  

Figure:  Long-billed Curlew Breeding Range in Nebraska
(darker shades represent areas of higher abundance)


Conservation Status: The Long-billed Curlews are shorebirds of conservation concern.  They are currently considered Tier 1 species in the Nebraska Natural Legacy Plan and are considered "critically imperiled" by the U.S. Shorebird Conservation Plan.   Long-billed Curlews have a small population size, approximately 123,500 individuals in 2007.  Habitat loss is a primary concern.  As prairie is converted to farmland or developed, habitat for the curlew is lost.

Lifespan: The average lifespan of a curlew is 8-10 years.