Far-eastern Curlew ( Numenius madagascarriensis)

                                                                      Photo - Cornell Lab of Ornithology

The Far-eastern Curlew (one of seven or eight Curlew species left in the world) flies from its wintering grounds in Australia to nesting areas in Siberia, straying sometimes to the Pribilof Islands and Aleutians during spring and summer.   This largest of all the curlews sometimes accidentally reaches British Columbia, which causes some field guides to include the species in their 'Birds of Canada' guides.

There are eight species of curlews in the world.   They are the Far-eastern Curlew, Slender-billed Curlew, Eurasian Curlew, Long-billed Curlew, Far Eastern Curlew, Little Curlew, Eskimo Curlew (now critically endangered or probably extinct) and the Bristle-thighed Curlew.

Internationally, curlews are considered as 'near threatened'!  There vulnerability is linked to their highly specialized and restrictive feeding requirements and the availability of suitable feeding habitats.

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BarrytheBirder