Eurasian Curlew
Numenius arquata
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderCharadriiformes (Shorebirds and Allies)
- FamilyScolopacidae (Sandpipers and Allies)
- GenusNumenius (Curlews)
- SpeciesNumenius arquata (Eurasian Curlew)
About the Eurasian Curlew
The Eurasian curlew or common curlew (Numenius arquata) is a very large wader in the family Scolopacidae. It is one of the most widespread of the curlews, breeding across temperate Europe and Asia. In Europe, this species is often referred to just as the "curlew", and in Scotland known as the "whaup" in Scots.
The Eurasian curlew was formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name Scolopax arquata. It is now placed with eight other curlews in the genus Numenius that was introduced by the French ornithologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson in 1760. The genus name Numenius is from Ancient Greek νουμήνιος, noumēnios, a bird mentioned by Hesychius. It is associated with the curlew because it appears to be derived from neos, "new" and mene "moon", referring to the crescent-shaped bill. The species name arquata is the Medieval Latin name for this bird, derived from Latin arcuatus, "bow-shaped", and again referring to the shape of the bill.
The English name "curlew" is imitative of the Eurasian curlew's call, but may have been influenced by the Old French corliu, "messenger", from courir, "to run... Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Bako National Park
Whimbrel
Numenius phaeopus
Far Eastern Curlew
Numenius madagascariensis
Common Sandpiper
Actitis hypoleucos
Terek Sandpiper
Xenus cinereus
Common Greenshank
Tringa nebularia
Common Redshank
Tringa totanus
Black-tailed Godwit
Limosa limosa
Bar-tailed Godwit
Limosa lapponica
Broad-billed Sandpiper
Calidris falcinellus
Gull-billed Tern
Gelochelidon nilotica
Little Tern
Sternula albifrons
Crested Tern
Thalasseus bergii
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Eurasian Curlew in Bako National Park?
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Eurasian Curlew sighting in Bako National Park, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Eurasian Curlew in Bako National Park?
February has the highest sighting rate for Eurasian Curlew in Bako National Park in our monthly data.