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Eurasian Curlew

Numenius arquata


Where is it found?

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Coastal areas, estuaries, bays, mudflats and wetlands

Diet and foraging method

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Curlews probe the mud to find and catch prey.
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Key adaptations

The Curlew's long, slender beak is adapted for probing mud to catch insect prey.

Social organisation and mating system

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                                Solitary or small flocks whilst feeding
                                     Forms flocks for roosting
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Form monogamous pairs for breeding

Did you know that...?

Adult curlew divert predators away from their nest, eggs and offspring by pretending to be injured!

Taxonomy

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Picture credits:

Maps from: http://species.mol.org/species/
"Eurasian Curlew" by Andreas Trepte - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Eurasian_Curlew.jpg#/media/File:Eurasian_Curlew.jpg
"Curlew" by Thomas from Bo'ness, Scotland - Curlew flying down the Firth of ForthUploaded by thskyt. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Curlew.jpg#/media/File:Curlew.jpg
"Courlis cendré MHNT" by Didier Descouens - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Courlis_cendr%C3%A9_MHNT.jpg#/media/File:Courlis_cendr%C3%A9_MHNT.jpg
"Eggs Numenius arquata" by No machine readable author provided. Polarit~commonswiki assumed (based on copyright claims). - No machine readable source provided. Own work assumed (based on copyright claims).. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Eggs_Numenius_arquata.jpg#/media/File:Eggs_Numenius_arquata.jpg
"Curlew06". Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Curlew06.jpg#/media/File:Curlew06.jpg

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