UKBirds

Eskimo Curlew

Numenius borealis

The Eskimo or the "Northern Curlew" is a critically endangered shorebird, now considered by many to be extinct.

Eskimo Curlews are small curlews, about 30 centimeters in length. Adults have long dark greyish legs and a long bill curved slightly downwards. The upperparts are mottled brown and the underparts are light brown. They show cinnamon wing linings in flight. They are similar in appearance to the Hudsonian Curlew, the American subspecies of the Whimbrel, but smaller in size. In the field, the only certain way to distinguish the Eskimo Curlew are its unbarred undersides of the primaries (Townsend, 1933). The call is poorly understood, but includes clear whistling sounds.

Eskimo Curlew formed a species pair with the Asian Little Curlew, Numenius minutus, but is slightly larger, longer-winged, shorter legged and warmer in plumage tone than its Asian relative.