| Curlew | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Long-billed curlew (Numenius americanus) Fishing Pier,Goose Island State Park,Texas | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Charadriiformes |
| Family: | Scolopacidae |
| Genus: | Numenius Brisson, 1760 |
| Type species | |
| Scolopax arquata Linnaeus, 1758 | |
| Species | |
N. phaeopus | |
| Synonyms | |
PalnumeniusMiller, 1942 | |
Thecurlews (/ˈkɜːrljuː/) are a group of nine species ofbirds in thegenusNumenius, characterised by their long, slender, downcurved bills and mottled brownplumage. The English name is imitative of theEurasian curlew's call, but may have been influenced by theOld Frenchcorliu, "messenger", fromcourir, "to run". It was first recorded in 1377 inLangland'sPiers Plowman "Fissch to lyue in þe flode..Þe corlue by kynde of þe eyre".[1] InEurope, "curlew" usually refers to one species, theEurasian curlew (Numenius arquata).
They are one of the most ancient lineages ofscolopacidwaders, together with thegodwits which look similar but have straight bills.[2] Curlews feed on mud or very soft ground,[3][4] searching for worms and other invertebrates with their long bills. They will also takecrabs and similar items.
Curlews enjoy a worldwide distribution. Most species exhibit strong migratory habits and consequently one or more species can be encountered at different times of the year in Europe,Ireland,Britain,Iberia,Iceland,Africa,Southeast Asia,Siberia,North America,South America andAustralasia.
The distribution of curlews has altered considerably in the past hundred years as a result of changing agricultural practices. For instance, Eurasian curlew populations have suffered due to draining of marshes for farmland, whereaslong-billed curlews have shown an increase in breeding densities around areas grazed by livestock.[5][6] As of 2019[update], there were only a small number of Eurasian curlews still breeding in Ireland, raising concerns that the bird will become extinct in that country.[7]
Thestone-curlews are not true curlews (family Scolopacidae) but members of the familyBurhinidae, which is in the same orderCharadriiformes, but only distantly related within that.
The genusNumenius was erected by the French scientistMathurin Jacques Brisson in hisOrnithologie published in 1760.[8] Thetype species is theEurasian curlew (Numenius arquata).[9] The Swedish naturalistCarl Linnaeus had introduced the genusNumenius in the 6th edition of hisSystema Naturae published in 1748,[10] but Linnaeus dropped the genus in the importanttenth edition of 1758 and put the curlews together with the woodcocks in the genusScolopax.[11][12] As the publication date of Linnaeus's sixth edition was before the 1758 starting point of theInternational Commission on Zoological Nomenclature, Brisson and not Linnaeus is considered as the authority for the genus.[13] The nameNumenius is fromAncient Greeknoumenios, a bird mentioned byHesychius. It is associated with the curlews because it appears to be derived fromneos, "new" andmene "moon", referring to the crescent-shaped bill.[14]
The genus contains nine species:[15]
| Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | Size and ecology | IUCN status and estimated population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eurasian whimbrel
| Numenius phaeopus (Linnaeus, 1758) Five subspecies
| subarctic Asia and Europe as far south as Scotland | Size: Habitat: Diet: | LC |
| Hudsonian whimbrel
| Numenius hudsonicus Latham, 1790 | southern North America and South America. It | Size: Habitat: Diet: | LC |
| Slender-billed curlew †? (Last seen in 1995[16]) | Numenius tenuirostris Vieillot, 1817 | Russia, Persian gulf, in Kuwait and Iraq. | Size: Habitat: Diet: | CR |
| Eurasian curlew
| Numenius arquata (Linnaeus, 1758) | temperate Europe and Asia | Size: Habitat: Diet: | NT |
| Long-billed curlew
| Numenius americanus Bechstein, 1812 | central and western North America | Size: Habitat: Diet: | LC |
| Far Eastern curlew
| Numenius madagascariensis (Linnaeus, 1766) | northeastern Asia, including Siberia to Kamchatka, and Mongolia. coastal Australia, with a few heading to South Korea, Thailand, Philippines and New Zealand | Size: Habitat: Diet: | EN |
| Little curlew
| Numenius minutus Gould, 1841 | Australasia, far north of Siberia. | Size: Habitat: Diet: | LC |
| Bristle-thighed curlew
| Numenius tahitiensis (Gmelin, JF, 1789) | tropical Oceania, and includes Micronesia, Fiji, Tuvalu, Tonga, Hawaiian Islands, Samoa, French Polynesia and Tongareva, lower Yukon River and Seward Peninsula | Size: Habitat: Diet: | NT |
| Eskimo curlew – †? (Last seen in 1987[17]) | Numenius borealis (Forster, 1772) | western Arctic Canada and Alaska, Pampas of Argentina | Size: Habitat: Diet: | CR |
The followingcladogram shows the genetic relationships between the species. It is based on a study published in 2023.[18]
| Numenius |
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The LateEocene (Montmartre Formation, some 35 mya)fossilLimosa gypsorum of France was originally placed inNumenius and may in fact belong there.[19] Apart from that, aLate Pleistocene curlew from San Josecito Cave, Mexico has been described.[20] This fossil was initially placed in a distinctgenus,Palnumenius, but was actually achronospecies or paleosubspecies related to thelong-billed curlew.
Theupland sandpiper (Bartramia longicauda) is an odd bird which is the closest relative of the curlews.[2] It is distinguished from them by its yellow legs, long tail, and shorter, less curved bill.
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