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Saturday 2 March 2013

Wader Quest species seen nº 7: Eurasian Curlew

Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata

Titchwell Beach, Norfolk England.

1st November. Titchwell RSPB reserve, Norfolk England. (Also seen: Thailand)

It wasn't until we reached the beach that we actually saw one of these although we had heard several calling by that time. They were typically randomly spread along the beach in amongst other species.

As the name implies this species is a widespread breeder across Europe and Asia and two subspecies are recognised arquata which we saw at Titchwell and  orientalis which we saw in Thailand. Their wintering quarters are widespread along coasts of the Mediterranean, Africa and Asia. They are a permanent presence in the UK being here year round.

Titchwell Beach, Norfolk, England.
Birdlife consider this species to be Near Threatened. The global population is estimated to be between around 765,000 to 1,065,000 individuals. The population decline is thought to be 20-30% over the last 15 years.
Bangor, Gwynedd, Wales.
Birdlife International (2013) Species factsheet: Numenius arquarta. Downloaded from Birdlife International http://www.birdlife.org on 06/02/2013.


Titchwell RSPB reserve, Norfolk, England. 
This species has one of the most delightful and evocative calls of any wader, the trembling call defines wild places and is often used in film soundtracks to suggest desolate moorland.

Lam Pak Bia, Petchaburi, Thailand.


For further information about Eurasian Curlew see:

Birdlife International species factsheet: http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/speciesfactsheet.php?id=3012

Arkive: http://www.arkive.org/eurasian-curlew/numenius-arquata/

Internet Bird Collection: http://ibc.lynxeds.com/species/eurasian-curlew-numenius-arquata

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