Long-billed Curlew Identification

The Four Keys to ID

• Size & Shape

  Large, long-legged shorebird with a very long, thin curved bill. It has a heavy football-shaped body, a long neck, and a small round head.

  Relative Size

  Larger than a Whimbrel, smaller than a Great Egret.

  crow-sized

  Measurements

  • Both Sexes
  • • Length: 19.7-25.6 in (50-65 cm)
    • Weight: 17.3-33.5 oz (490-950 g)
    • Wingspan: 24.4-35.0 in (62-89 cm)

  © Ian Davies / Macaulay Library

• Color Pattern

  Speckled and barred in browns above with a pale cinnamon wash throughout and a plain cinnamon belly. The head and neck are pale with faint streaks and the lower bill is pink at the base. In flight, the upper and lower wings are strongly cinnamon.

• Behavior

  Forages for earthworms and other deep-burrowing prey such as shrimp and crabs in soft muddy substrates using its long, curved bill. On drier grassland habitats, pecks at insects. Walks with a strut, pushing its head forward with jerky steps.
• Habitat

  Breeds in areas with sparse, short grasses, including shortgrass and mixed-grass prairies as well as agricultural fields. Outside of the breeding season, found in wetlands, tidal estuaries, mudflats, flooded fields less than 6 inches deep, and beaches.