Bristle-thighed Curlew Identification

A large shorebird with a striped head and curved bill. Upperparts brownish with buffy marks. Underparts buffy with fine brown streaking on the neck and breast.

Sings and calls in flight. Note the conspicuous cinnamon-buff rump, which distinguishes this species from the similar Whimbrel.

A large shorebird with a striped head, curved bill, brownish upperparts, and buffy underparts. This curlew’s distinctive whistled “chiu-eet” or “cheeooeet” is one of the best ways to distinguish it from the similar Whimbrel.

Bill color varies from all black to mostly pink, with the amount of black decreasing during the nonbreeding season.

Spends the nonbreeding season in the Hawaiian Islands and other remote Pacific islands.

Male performs elaborate flight displays, flying upward on quick, shallow wingbeats and then gliding on fixed wings, often singing.

Probes for invertebrates year-round, but also uses other techniques to obtain food.

In flight, note the cinnamon-buff rump and tail and limited dark barring on the tail.

Adaptable foragers, Bristle-thighed Curlews use a technique known as “slamming” to break open the shells of crabs and snails.

Breeds on upland Arctic tundra in two remote areas in Alaska.

A tundra nester, this species is also at home in open, grassy habitats on its nonbreeding grounds on Pacific islands.