Curlew
(Numenius arquata)
N. arquata is our largest wader and
probably the easiest to identify, being long-legged and with a long down-curved
bill and evocative bubbling call. It can really only be confused with the more
compact, stripe-headed Whimbrel.
Although
the Curlew no longer breeds in the county, last breeding on Ashdown Forest in
1991, Sussex remains an important migration stop and wintering destination.
Their breeding range has now contracted away from most of lowland Britain,
although a few non-breeding birds still spend the summer in Sussex, usually on
the coast.
A
bird who’s beautiful voice embodies the atmosphere of the lonely marshes and high moorland where it is found …
References:
Barfield,
C. (2014). Curlew. The Birds of Sussex. Thetford: British Trust for
Ornithology (BTO) Books on behalf of the Sussex Ornithological Society, pp. 276-277.
Nobbs,
J. (1996). Curlew. Birds of Sussex. Sussex Ornithological Society,
pp. 278-281.
