Bristle-thighed curlew

The Bristle-thighed Curlew, Numenius tahitiensis, is a large shorebird that breeds in Alaska and winters on tropical Pacific islands. It has a long, decurved bill and bristled feathers at the base of the legs. Its length is about 43 cm and wingspan about 84 cm . The size and shape are the same as the Whimbrel's, and the plumage is similar, spotted brown on their upper body with a light belly and rust-colored or buffy tail. The bigger buff spots on the upper body, unmarked light belly and barely marked flanks, tail color, and pale buffy-orange rump distinguish it from the Whimbrel.

The Bristle-thighed curlew is classified as Vulnerable (VU), considered to be facing a high risk of extinction in the wild.

Bristle-thighed Curlew, Numenius tahitiensis, in Alaska, created by the Zoology program of the Alaska Natural Heritage Program, Anchorage, AK. More

The Bristle-thighed Curlew breeds only in North America. Its adult population numbers about 7,000 individuals, making it the rarest of the New World curlews and godwits. It is similar in appearance to the Whimbrel (N. phaeopus), having a decurved bill and robust size, but distinguished from the Whimbrel by its buffy-orange rump, voice, and unique, but often difficult to see, bristles on the thighs. More

A distinctive feature of the Bristle-thighed Curlew is its cinnamon-colored rump and tail. This feature helps distinguish curlews from similar species like the Whimbrel (N. phaeopus) particularly in places where the two species overlap in Alaska and Oceania. Whimbrel - photo by Robert E. Gill, USGS In general, Whimbrels (like the one in this photo) are brown and grey in appearance in contrast to the brown and cinnamon tones of curlews. More

Bristle-thighed Curlews are fascinating shorebirds that breed on inland tundra in a small area of western Alaska and winter on small tropical islands across a large expanse of the Pacific Ocean. These birds can be quite aggressive on both their breeding grounds and on their wintering grounds, where they sometimes employ rocks to crack open and feed upon seabird eggs. More

Bristle-thighed CurlewNumenius tahitiensis Order CHARADRIIFORMES – Family SCOLOPACIDAE Issue No. 705 Authors: Marks, Jeffrey S., T. Lee Tibbitts, Robert E. Gill, and Brian J. Mccaffery * Articles * Multimedia * References Courtesy Preview This Introductory article that you are viewing is a courtesy preview of the full life history account of this species. The remaining articles (Distribution, Habitat, Behavior, etc. More

Overview of the Bristle-thighed Curlews still in Alaska on 14 Aug Close-up of Bristle-thighed Curlews in Alaska on 9 Aug Focus on 3 curlews leaving Alaska on 9 Aug Maps | About | Shorebird Migration Background | California Avian Data Center Home Supported by in part by the USGS and the David and Lucille Packard Foundation. More

THE BRISTLE-THIGHED CURLEW LANDFALL OF 1998: MLODINOW, STEVEN G., STEVEN FELDSTEIN, BILL TWEIT Climatic Factors and Notes on Identification STEVEN G. MLODINOW, 4819 Gardner Avenue, Everett, Washington 98203 STEVEN FELDSTEIN, Earth System Science Center, The Pennsylvania State University, 248 Deike Building, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802 BILL TWEIT, P. O. More

The Bristle-thighed Curlew, Numenius tahitiensis, is a large shorebird that breeds in Alaska and winters on tropical Pacific islands. It has a long, decurved bill and bristled feathers at the base of the legs. Its length is about 43 cm and wingspan about 84 cm (females averaging bigger than males). The size and shape are the same as the Whimbrel's, and the plumage is similar, spotted brown on their upper body with a light belly and rust-colored or buffy tail. More

Upon learning that Alan Barron found a Bristle-thighed Curlew at Crescent City harbor on Thursday, 14 May, I made arrangements to drive up Friday morning with John Luther in hopes of seeing the bird that afternoon. At 9:30am we stopped near Santa Rosa, called the Arcata Birdbox (707) 822-5666 and were pleased to hear Alan Barron report that the bird was still present that morning and had been seen by Guy McCaskie, Bruce Deuel and others. More

another Bristle-thighed Curlew had been found 16 May by Les & Cindy Lieurance and George Griffeth at Kehoe Beach. I had a class at Alviso this morning, 17 May, but elected to pick up my son, Jeff and head out to Point Reyes this afternoon. We arrived about 3:30pm meeting other birders who were leaving after having not seen the bird. It had reportedly been seen early in the morning. More

Bristle-thighed Curlews (Numenius tahitiensis) are large shorebirds that breed in Alaska and spend the nonbreeding season on atolls and small islands throughout Oceania. This life history pattern requires curlews to migrate long distances each year. In June 2007, USGS scientists tagged 13 curlews ...Email PreviewBristle-thighed Curlew Bristle-thighed Curlews (Numenius tahitiensis) are large shorebirds that breed in Alaska and spend the nonbreeding season on atolls and small islands throughout Oceania. This life history pattern requires curlews to migrate long distances each year. More

The Bristle-thighed Curlew has a large range, extending across North America, South America and parts of Europe and New Zealand. It is primarily found in the area of the lower Yukon River and central Seward Peninsula when breeding, and winters on oceanic islands. The bird prefers grassland and marine climates. The global population of the bird is around ten thousand, though only 7,000 are of breeding age. More

Bristle-thighed Curlew: Breed in a limited area of western Alaska, on the lower Yukon River and the central Seward Peninsula. Spends winters on a wide range of small islands in the south Pacific, including Hawaiian Islands, Mariana Islands, Micronesia, Fiji, Samoa, and French Polynesia. Preferred habitats include quiet, undisturbed beaches and coastal grassy fields and pastures. More

Bristle-thighed Curlews feed on a wide variety of vegetation such as flowers and berries and on insects, sea life, and other bird's eggs, which they use rocks to break open—the only tool use among shorebirds. The bird is rarely seen near populated land masses, with only a handful of sightings in Canada, California and Oregon. It was first described scientifically during James Cook's visits to Tahiti in the 18th century, but its nesting grounds were not identified until 1948. More

The bristle-thighed curlew breeds on the lower Yukon River and central Seward Peninsula in western Alaska, United States. It winters on many small oceanic islands in the South Pacific, from the Marshall and Hawaiian Islands, south to Santa Cruz, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, Marquesas, Tuamotu Island and Pitcairn Island (2). View a distribution map for this species at UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre. More

Bristle-thighed Curlew, Numenius tahitiensis Bristle-thighed Curlew The Bristle-thighed Curlew, Numenius tahitiensis, is a large shorebird that breeds in Alaska and winters on tropical Pacific islands. Its winter habitat is tropical Oceania, and includes Micronesia, Fiji, Tonga, Hawaiian Islands, Samoa, and French Polynesia. The bird is rarely seen near populated land masses, with only a handful of sightings in Canada, California and Oregon. More

Aspects of the topic bristle-thighed curlew are discussed in the following places at Britannica. Assorted References * migration (in curlew (bird)) The bristle-thighed curlew (N. tahitiensis) breeds in the mountains of Alaska and migrates some 6,000 miles (9,650 km) to winter on islands in the South Pacific. More

the warm sun of the South Pacific? Bristle-thighed Curlews have just that type of life style. Welcome to Field Notes. I’m Rob MacDonald, a Wildlife Biologist with the Togiak National Wildlife Refuge. Curlews are large shorebirds and the Bristle-thighed Curlew is one of the largest shorebirds found in Alaska. There are 9 species of Curlews worldwide, all of which have been recorded in North America. Most curlews have obvious long, down-curved bills. More

Bristle-thighed Curlew near nest at the Nulato Hills of western AK in June 2007. photo Dan Ruthrauff Project Navigator Today's Live Maps of Bristle-thighed Curlew - Breeding Biology - Migration and Wintering Ecology - Conservation Status - Marked Birds - The Bristle-thighed Curlew breeds only in North America. More

breeding season, most Bristle-thighed Curlews congregate on the Yukon Delta, where they feed on berries, insects, and other food items in preparation for a non-stop, 2,500 mile journey to their South Pacific sites. Bristle-thighed Curlew $1.80 Their normal diet is crustaceans, snails, small fish and the eggs of breeding seabirds. In order to crack the thick shells of large seabird eggs, the curlews sometimes employ rocks as tools, a rare occurrence in the bird world. More

The Bristle-thighed Curlew is a shorebird which normally winters in the south Pacific islands and breeds in Alaska. It is rarely seen in the Pacific Northwest. In May of 1998, an unusual weather pattern in the north Pacific apparently pushed a number of these birds over to the West Coast of North America. There was quite a bit of excitement about this in the birding community. More

Picture of Numenius tahitiensis above has been licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial.
Original source: Caleb Slemmons
-Caleb Slemmons -Author: Caleb Slemmons
Permission: Some rights reserved
Order : Charadriiformes
Family : Scolopacidae
Genus : Numenius
Species : tahitiensis
Authority : (Gmelin, 1789)