CURLEW SANDPIPER

Photographed at Miranda, North Island, New Zealand, April, 2019

(*   414)                   CURLEW SANDPIPER                    Calidris ferruginea  

NEW ZEALAND                    120

Uncommon Arctic migrant. Breeds in the Arctic Asia. Regular summer visitor to NZ, and some overwinter. Favours tidal flats, brackish pools and margins to coastal lakes, mainly at Firth of Thames, Lake Ellesmere and Awarua Bay.

LITTLE CURLEW

Photographed at Broome (WA), September 2016

808             LITTLE CURLEW        Numinous minutus

Australia         (652)

Also known as Little Whimbrel. 30-36 cm. Found on dry grasslands, floodplains, margins of drying swamps; tidal flats, airfields, playing fields crops, commercial salt fields, sewerage ponds. Breeds Arctic Siberia: migrates from s. China to s. PNG and n. Aust in Sept., returning by April. Very large numbers disperse over grasslands of n. WA, NT and nw Q in wet season; singles or small parties casual to c., e. and se Aust. in summer; vagrant to Tas.

EURASIAN CURLEW

Photographed at Port Douro, near Bunbury, Western Australia February 2016

761               EURASIAN CURLEW             Numenius arquata

Australia        (605)

Also known as Common Curlew or European Curlew. 50-60 cm. Breeds from w. Europeto sw Siberia, winters s. Europe, Africa, occasional e. to Malaysia, Borneo. In Australia, one confirmed recordEighty Mile Beach near Broome (WA) Nov 2007, several unconfirmed sight records; until this bird at Port Douro, WA Feb 2016.

Darwin, January 2024

EASTERN CURLEW

416          EASTERN CURLEW           Numenius madagascariensis

Australia         (290)

Also known as Australian, Far Eastern and Sea Curlew. 60-65 cm. Range: breeds ne Asia, summer visitor to coasts of Australia, including Tasmania, seldom inland. Found in estuaries, tidal mudflats, sand spits, salt marshes, mangroves, and sometimes fresh or brackish lakes, bare grassland, near water.

BEACH STONE-CURLEW

90       BEACH STONE-CURLEW        Esacus negectus

Australia    (90)

Also known as Beach Thick-knee. 56 cm. Found on open undisturbed beaches, exposed reefs and tidal mudflats from Shark Bay, across the north of Australia to Nambucca Heads in NSW.            

BUSH STONE-CURLEW

89          BUSH STONE-CURLEW           Burhinus grallarius

Australia        (89)

Also called Bush Thick-knee, Southern Stone-curlew, Weeloo, Willaroo. 55-59 cm, wingspan 80 cm-1.05m. More often heard than seen, wailing call at night. Found in open woodlands, open country with scrub, cover, parks and golf courses. Nocturnal. Common in tropical and northern Queensland, rare in southern half of continent.