Little Curlew
Little Curlew
Numenius minutus
At a Glance
An uncommon Asian shorebird, smallest of the curlews. Closely related to the nearly-extinct Eskimo Curlew, and like that species it forages in grassy fields more often than on shores or mudflats. Stray migrants, far off-course, have been found a few times in California and Alaska.
All bird guide text and rangemaps adapted from by Kenn Kaufman漏 1996, used by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Category
Sandpiper-like Birds
IUCN Status
Least Concern
Habitat
Coasts and Shorelines, Fields, Meadows, and Grasslands
Behavior
Flap/Glide, Running
Range & Identification
Description
12" (30 cm). A very small curlew, half the bulk of a Whimbrel. Thin bill is only a little longer than head and only slightly down-curved. Brown above, paler below, with narrow dark bars on flanks. Has dark head stripes like a Whimbrel but the dark eye-line doesn't extend in front of the eye, leaving the lores mostly pale, not dark.
Size
About the size of a Crow, About the size of a Robin
Wing Shape
Broad, Pointed, Tapered
Tail Shape
Rounded, Short, Square-tipped, Wedge-shaped
Songs and Calls
Multiple calls, including a whistled, musical quee-dlee.
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