Curlew
Translation- Curlew
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For other uses, see Curlew (disambiguation).For other uses of "Numenius", see Numenius.
Curlews 
Long-billed Curlew (Numenius americanus)
Fishing Pier, Goose Island State Park, TexasScientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Charadriiformes Family: Scolopacidae Genus: Numenius
Brisson, 1760Species N. phaeopus
N. tenuirostris
N. arquata
N. americanus
N. madagascariensis
N. minutus
N. borealis
N. tahitiensisSynonyms Palnumenius Miller, 1942
The curlews /ˈkɜrljuːz/, genus Numenius, are a group of eight species of birds, characterised by long, slender, downcurved bills and mottled brown plumage. They are one of the most ancient lineages of scolopacid waders, together with the godwits which look similar but have straight bills.[1] In Europe "curlew" usually refers to one species, the Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata.
Curlews feed on mud or very soft ground, searching for worms and other invertebrates with their long bills. They will also take crabs and similar items.
Curlews enjoy a world-wide distribution. Most species show strong migratory habits and consequently one or more species can be encountered at different times of the year in Europe, the British Isles, Iberia, Iceland, Africa, Southeast Asia, Siberia, North America, South America and Australasia.
The distribution of curlews has altered considerably in the past hundred years as a result of changing agricultural practices. Reclamation and drainage of marshy fields and moorland, and afforestation of the latter, have led to local decreases, while conversion of forest to grassland in some parts of Scandinavia has led to increases there.[2][clarification needed]
The stone-curlews are not true curlews (family Scolopacidae) but members of the family Burhinidae, which is in the same order Charadriiformes, but only distantly related within that.
[edit] Species in taxonomic order
- Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus
- Slender-billed Curlew Numenius tenuirostris - critically endangered, possibly extinct (early 21st century?)
- Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata
- Long-billed Curlew Numenius americanus
- Far Eastern Curlew Numenius madagascariensis
- Little Curlew Numenius minutus
- Eskimo Curlew Numenius borealis - critically endangered, possibly extinct (early 2000s?)
- Bristle-thighed Curlew Numenius tahitiensis
The Late Eocene (Montmartre Formation, some 35 mya) fossil Limosa gypsorum of France was originally placed in Numenius and may in fact belong there.[3] Apart from that, a Late Pleistocene curlew from San Josecito Cave, Mexico has been described. This fossil was initially placed in a distinct genus, Palnumenius, but was actually a chronospecies or paleosubspecies related to the Long-billed Curlew.[4]
The Upland Sandpiper (Bartramia longicauda) is an odd bird which is the closest relative of the curlews.[1] It is distinguished from them by its yellow legs, long tail, and shorter, less curved bill.
[edit] References
- ^ a b Thomas, Gavin H.; Wills, Matthew A. & Székely, Tamás (2004): A supertree approach to shorebird phylogeny. BMC Evol. Biol. 4: 28. doi:10.1186/1471-2148-4-28 PDF fulltext Supplementary Material
- ^ Encyclopedia of the Animal World (1977): Vol.6: 518-519. Bay Books, Sydney.
- ^ Olson, Storrs L. (1985): Section X.D.2.b. Scolopacidae. In: Farner, D.S.; King, J.R. & Parkes, Kenneth C. (eds.): Avian Biology 8: 174-175. Academic Press, New York.
- ^ Arroyo-Cabrales, Joaquín & Johnson, Eileen (2003): Catálogo de los ejemplares tipo procedentes de la Cueva de San Josecito, Nuevo León, México. Revista Mexicana de Ciencias Geológicas 20(1): 79-93. [Spanish with English abstract] PDF fulltext
[edit] Further reading
- Bodsworth, Fred (1987). Last of the Curlews. ISBN 0396091873. (originally published in 1954)
Categories:- Curlews
- Numenius
- Genera of birds
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Look at other dictionaries:
Curlew — Cur lew (k[^u]r l[=u]), n. [F. courlieu, corlieu, courlis; perh. of imitative origin, but cf. OF. corlieus courier; L. currere to run + levis light.] (Zo[ o]l.) A wading bird of the genus {Numenius}, remarkable for its long, slender, curved bill … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
curlew — noun кроншнеп (птица) … Англо-русский словарь Мюллера
curlew — 1> зоол. кроншнеп (Numenius arquatus) … Новый большой англо-русский словарь
curlew — /kerr looh/, n. 1. any of several shorebirds of the genus Numenius, having a long, slender, downcurved bill, as the common N. arquata, of Europe. 2. any of various similar birds. [1300 50; ME < AF curleu, c. MF corleu; perh. imit.] * * * Any of… … Universalium
curlew — ˈkə:lju: сущ. кроншнеп (птица) (зоология) кроншнеп (Numenius arquatus) curlew кроншнеп (птица) … Большой англо-русский и русско-английский словарь
curlew — noun (plural curlews or curlew) Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo French curleu, of imitative origin Date: 14th century any of various largely brownish chiefly migratory birds (especially genus Numenius) … New Collegiate Dictionary
curlew — noun /ˈkɜːlju/lang=en Any of several migratory wading birds in the genus Numenius of the family Scolopacidae, remarkable for their long, slender, downcurved bills … Wiktionary
Curlew River — mdash; A Parable for Church Performance (Op. 71) is the first of three Church Parables by Benjamin Britten. The work is based on the Japanese noh play Sumidagawa (Sumida River) of Juro Motomasa (1395 ndash;1431), which Britten saw during a visit… … Wikipedia
Curlew (disambiguation) — Curlew is the common name for a group of birds of the family Scolopacidae.Curlew can also refer to: * The Curlew , song cycle by Peter Warlock *Curlew (band), jazz group *Curlew Island, Tasmania, Australia * Curlew River , opera by Benjamin… … Wikipedia
Curlew Jack — Curlew Cur lew (k[^u]r l[=u]), n. [F. courlieu, corlieu, courlis; perh. of imitative origin, but cf. OF. corlieus courier; L. currere to run + levis light.] (Zo[ o]l.) A wading bird of the genus {Numenius}, remarkable for its long, slender,… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English