Numenius arquata
Wingspan: 89-106cm
The curlew is Europe’s largest wading bird, instantly recognisable by its extraordinary curved bill and haunting “cur‑lee” call. They return to the Solent towards the end of summer from Scandinavia and Russia, while birds that bred in the New Forest head further south to France and Spain for the winter.
The curlew’s bubbling, mournful call is unmistakable, and throughout the winter you have a good chance of hearing it along the coast.
Their long, down‑curved bill is one of the most distinctive features in the bird world. Flexible and packed with nerves, it’s perfectly adapted for delving deep into mud to extract lugworms, cockles and other hidden prey. Their scientific name, Numenius arquata, refers to this shape and means “of the new moon”.
If you watch a curlew foraging, you may notice them twisting and turning their heads as they work their bills into awkward burrows to reach prey.
The tip of the curlew’s bill is slightly enlarged and extremely sensitive to pressure. This allows them to detect even the faintest movements underground – such as bubbles released by prey animals, which give away their hiding places.
It’s also thought that curlews can sense pressure waves as they push their bills into the mud. Any obstacle alters the pressure pattern, helping guide them directly to their next meal.
Their diet changes with the seasons:
The whimbrel, a passage migrant that stops on our shores during spring and autumn, can look very similar to a curlew.
Key differences include:
Curlews are a familiar winter visitor to the Solent, with around 2,000 birds along the coast at any one time. Winter numbers remain relatively stable, but their breeding populations have declined significantly, making their protection even more important.
The Curlew is red listed in the UK and they are a qualifying feature for the Chichester and Langstone Harbours Special Protection Area – that means, when the site was designated, a nationally significant number used these coastlines in the winter.
Find out more about the Special Protection Areas on the Solent.
Female curlews are not only larger than males—they also have bills that are, on average, around 18% longer. This difference may help reduce competition for food between the sexes.
