Curlews

"In Florida, in the spring when the mating instinct is strong, I have seen a flock of s ing about the sky, going through various intricate movements, with the precision of dancers in a ball-room . No sign, no signal, no guidance whatever. Let a body of men try it under the same conditions, and behold the confusion, and the tumbling over one another! At one moment the birds would wheel so as to bring their backs in shadow, and then would flash out the white of their breasts and under parts. It was like the opening and shutting of a giant hand, or the alternate rapid darkening and brightening of the sail of a tacking ice-boat. This is the spirit of the flock."

"Some shorebirds are capable of very deep (>15 cm) and complex probing of the sediment and this feeding guild is represented globally by three very large curlew species: s (Numinous madagascariensis), s (N. arquata) and s (N. americanus). These deep-probing shorebirds are threatened globally due to recent declines in population sizes, largely resulting from and hunting pressure. To prevent further loss and possible extinction of shorebirds at risk, better knowledge of their feeding ecology outside the breeding grounds is required."

"Numinous arquata are ground nesting s that breed on various open upland habitats, such as {[w|bog}}s, , and hay meadows, as well as on coastal marshes and lowland farmland. Curlew are usually associated with damp habitats, and prefer a heterogeneous mosaic of short and longer vegetation (Pearce-Higgins & Grant 2006). Nests are often located in or next to taller vegetation but curlews tend not to nest in very dense vegetation, as they are highly mobile and need to be able to move freely whilst using cover to evade predators. Curlews feed on a wide range of invertebrates both in the soil, and on the ground surface and plants. Their characteristic bill can be used for probing into soft ground and also y vegetation."

"The tide rises, the tide falls, The twilight darkens, the curlew calls; Along the sea-sands damp and brown The traveller hastens toward the town, And the tide rises, the tide falls."

"The Numinous tahitiensis is a rare shorebird that breeds in western Alaska and winters on oceanic islands in the tropical and subtropical Pacific Ocean. Before human colonization, the islands on which curlews winter were devoid of terrestrial predators, allowing curlews to evolve a rapid moult during which about 50% of adults become flightless. Especially when flightless, these birds are vulnerable to harvest by humans and to predation by introduced mammals such as dogs and cats. On atolls where they are harvested by humans, curlews tend to occur only on uninhabited islets. Consequently, human encroachment in Oceania has probably reduced Bristle-thighed Curlew numbers and altered winter distribution of the species. Future studies should (1) identify concentrations of wintering curlews, focusing in the ; (2) determine whether migratory stopover sites exist in the central Pacific between Hawaii and the southern end of the wintering grounds; and (3) establish a monitoring programme to assess population trends in several parts of the winter range. A comprehensive plan is needed to provide for the existence of predator-free islands throughout key portions of the winter range."