Animalia Life
Numenius americanus
SUBFAMILY
Tringinae
TAXONOMY
Numenius americanus Bechstein, 1812, New York. Two subspecies.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
French: Courlis а long bec; German: Rostbrachvogel; Spanish:
Zarapito Americano.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
19.7–25.6 in (50–65 cm); male 0.98–1.74 lb (445–792 g), female
1.25–2.09 lb (570–951 g). A large curlew with a dropletshaped
billtip. Speckled black and cinnamon-buff upperparts;
cinnamon underparts. Female averages larger, with a longer bill.
DISTRIBUTION
N. a. parvus: south British Columbia east to Manitoba and
south to California and South Dakota, wintering from California
and Louisiana to Mexico; N. a. americanus: Nevada east to
South Dakota and south to Texas, wintering from California
and Texas to Mexico, Honduras, Costa Rica, and Guatemala.
HABITAT
Breeds on prairies; nonbreeders occur at marshes, estuaries,
and farmland.
BEHAVIOR
Territorial when breeding.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Eats insects, in nonbreeding season also crustaceans, mollusks,
worms, toads, and berries.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Monogamous. Lays April–May. Nests in short grass; clutch
contains three to five eggs; incubation is 27–28 days; fledges at
41–45 days.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Breeding range has contracted westwards due to loss of prairies
to agriculture. Population of N. a. parvus was 6,400 in 1992,
apparently declining; species’ overall numbers may be stable.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
Previously heavily hunted, now fully protected.
Photo Gallery of - Long-billed curlew
