Long-billed Curlew

Numenius americanus

The Long-billed Curlew is the largest of the sandpipers in the state, and is easily recognizable by its extremely long, decurved bill.  Their extremely long bills are used to feed on burrowing wolf spiders in South Dakota.  It is a sandpiper of the dry grasslands and prairies of the West, and is only found on mudflats, marshes, and wetlands during migration and in winter.  Long-billed Curlews have decreased greatly from their historical range and populations, and are still declining in recent decades.

Habitat: Summers on grassland and sagebrush prairies, preferably with wet meadows nearby.

Diet: Mostly insects, also eggs, young birds, toads, and occasionally berries and seeds. 

Nesting: May and June

Breeding Map: Breeding Bird Survey map

Song: Loud, two-tone call, with 2nd note higher than the first.

Migration: Summers in grasslands in the western United States.  Winters in the southern U.S. and northern Mexico.

Similar Species: Whimbrel, Marbled Godwit

Conservation Status: Greatly reduced from historical levels, and still declining in recent decades. Range was once much further east than it is today.  Grasslands on which it relies have been converted to agriculture in many parts of its range.

Further Information: 1) USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter, Long-billed Curlew

2) Cornell University's "All About Birds - Long-billed Curlew

3) eNature.com: Long-billed Curlew

Photo Information: July 27th, 2009 - Antelope Island, near Salt Lake City, Utah - Terry Sohl

Additional Photos: For additional Long-billed Curlew photos, click on the image chips or links near the bottom of the page.