Little Curlew
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| Numenius minutus Gould, 1841 |
The Little Curlew, Numenius minutus, is a wader in the large bird family Scolopacidae. It is a very small curlew, which breeds in the far north of Siberia. It is closely related to the North American Eskimo Curlew.
This is a strongly migratory species, wintering in Australasia. It is a very rare vagrant to western Europe.
This bird breeds in loose colonies in forest clearings in river valleys. The nest is a ground scrape. It winters inland on grassland, cultivation or near fresh water, mainly in northern Australia but also as far south as St Kilda, South Australia. It is gregarious, forming sizeable flocks. This species feeds by probing soft mud for small invertebrates.
This is a tiny curlew, not as large as a Golden Plover, but unmistakably a member of that group of waders.
It is mainly greyish brown, including the underwings, with a white belly, and a short, for a curlew, curved bill. It has a head pattern like a Whimbrel, with crown and supercilaiary stripes. The call is a repetitive whistle.
[edit] References
- BirdLife International (2004). Numenius minutus. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
- Bonnin, Mark (1971). "The little whimbel (numenius minutus) at St Kilda". S.A. Ornithologist 25 (8): 233.
Shorebirds by Hayman, Marchant and Prater ISBN 0-7099-2034-2
