Bird name:

Little Curlew

Numenius minutus

Order

CHARADRIIFORMES

Family

Sandpipers (Scolopacidae)

Code 4

LICU

Code 6

NUMMIN

ITIS

176606

Breeding Location:

Lakes, Grasslands, Ponds, Wooded areas near water

Breeding Type:

Monogamous

Breeding Population:

Rare

Egg Color:

Light to dark green or blue with brown markings

Number of Eggs:

Incubation Days:

22 - 23

Egg Incubator:

Both sexes

Nest Material:

Lined with dry grass.

Migration:

Migratory

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General

Little Curlew: Medium-sized curlew with brown-streaked upperparts, white throat, dark-streaked gray breast, and white belly. Head has brown crown and white eyebrows. Bill is short and slightly down-curved. Sexes are similar.

Range and Habitat

Little Curlew: Very rare species; breeds in central and northeast Siberia and winters mainly in northern Australia; casual fall vagrant to coastal California. Breeds in open woodlands in river valleys; otherwise found on grasslands, cultivated areas, and around margins of ponds and lakes, less often on coasts.

Breeding and Nesting

Little Curlew: Four brown marked, light to dark green or blue eggs are laid in a ground depression lined with dry grass. Incubation ranges from 23 to 23 days and is carried out by both parents.

Foraging and Feeding

Little Curlew: Feeds mainly on insects; also eats worms and berries.

Vocalization

Little Curlew: Song is composed of a musical "quee-dlee" and a loud "tchew-tchew-tchew."

Similar Species

Little Curlew: Whimbrel has longer, more curved bill and dark lores.

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Upperparts

Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.

Belly

The ventral part of the bird, or the area between the flanks on each side and the crissum and breast. Flight muscles are located between the belly and the breast.

Breast

The upper front part of a bird.

Crown

The crown is the top part of the birds head.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America