No.308 · Birds · Rare
Curlew
Numenius arquata
Britain's largest wader, mottled brown with long legs and an enormous down-curved bill, and a bubbling call that carries right across the heath. It nests on the ground here, and it's in real trouble.
When to see a curlew
March to June, mostly at dawn, by day and at dusk.
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- F
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Time of day
- Dawn
- Day
- Dusk
- Night
Where to see a curlew in the UK
- The New Forest. A few pairs nest on the wet heaths. Watch from the tracks.
Curlew facts at a glance
- Best time
- April to June on the New Forest heaths: best at dawn, when the males are calling.
- Where in the game
- the New Forest (heath, mire and lawn)
- Size
- Length 50–60 cm
- Wingspan
- About 90 cm
- Weight
- About 716 g for males and 852 g for females (BTO adult averages)
- Lifespan
- Typically 11 years for a bird reaching breeding age; the oldest ringed bird lived over 32 (BTO)
- Population
- About 59,000 pairs in the UK (BTO, 2016), and only about 28–33 in the New Forest (2022–23 counts)
- Status
- Red (Birds of Conservation Concern); Near Threatened worldwide
Diet
Worms and other invertebrates, pulled from mud and soil with that long bill.
Habitat
Moorland, wet heath, marsh and rough pasture in summer; many move to the coast in winter.
Breeding
A scrape on the ground, usually 4 eggs, incubated for about four weeks. The chicks stay with their parents for about four weeks more, until they fledge.
Field signs
- A rising, bubbling call over the heath in spring
- A huge curved bill probing into wet ground
- A big brown bird rising off the heath and circling, calling, when you're too near its nest
Did you know?
- The UK's breeding curlews are of international importance, and about 30% of the west European population winters here (RSPB).
- New Forest curlews probably peaked at about 120 pairs in the 1980s.
- Foxes are the main predator of their nests in the Forest, found by nest cameras (GWCT).
Moments worth waiting for
- Probing the mud
It walks slowly along the wet edge and slides that huge bill into the mud, right up to its face.
Photo tip
Stay on the track and let the bird decide how close to come. A long lens from the path at dawn beats any closer shot, and keeps it on its nest.
Be a good naturalist
It nests on the ground from March to July. Keep to the main tracks and keep dogs on leads: one loose dog can wreck a nest. If a curlew circles and calls at you, you're too close, so walk on.
The law
Protected, like all wild birds, by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
