Curlew Birds in Florida

The genus Numenius consists of eight known bird species commonly known as curlews found in Europe, Asia and the Americas. Only the long-billed curlew spends any time in Florida, often wintering in the warmer climate of the state. The long-billed curlew is America's largest shorebird and is distinctive in appearance.

  1. Description

    • The long-billed curlew grows to between 19 and 25 inches in height, with a wingspan of 24 to 35 inches, and weighs between 17 and 33 oz. It has a brownish gray color with lighter coloring on the head and chest. Its bill, as the name suggests, is long, thin and curved. The females have longer beaks with flattened tops and more obvious curving at the tip. Males and females are otherwise identical in appearance. The birds have long thin legs ideal for wading while they search for food.

    Range and Habitat

    • The long-billed curlew is known to winter in the coastal regions of Florida. The bird also spends the winter in South Carolina, Texas, Louisiana and California, but it mainly travels to the warm climate regions of Central America. During the summer the birds spend the breeding season in the U.S. ranging from southern Canada down into the states of California, Texas, Utah and New Mexico as well as other Northwestern areas. In the summer the curlew is found in plains and grassland habitats and winters near lakes, rivers and coastal beaches.

    Diet

    • The long-billed curlew's summer diet consists of terrestrial insects such as grasshoppers and beetles. It also sometimes eats small amphibians, when available. In the winter when the birds spend time in more wetland habitats, they use their long beaks to fish for shellfish and water-based invertebrates. Berries and seeds also make up part of the bird's winter diet. The birds often feed in small flocks or in pairs, but during breeding season spend more time alone.

    Breeding

    • Males start the building of the nests by scratching out depressions in the dirt. When a female chooses a mate she helps to dig the hole before they both line it with rock, twigs and other vegetation. The female lays around four eggs which both parents take turns to incubate for around a month before they hatch. Both parents feed the chicks and protect them, but the female leaves the male to finish the rearing after around two to three weeks. The chicks leave the nest after 32 to 45 days.