Main Page | See live article | Alphabetical index Curlews Eastern Curlew Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Charadriiformes Family†: Scolopacidae Genera Numenius Bartramia † see also: wader The curlews are a group of 8 wading bird species, characterised by a long slender downcurved bill and mainly brown plumage with little seasonal change. They are closely related to the godwits, but the latter have straight bills. Curlews feed on mud or very soft ground, searching for worms and other invertebrates their long bills. They will also take crabs and similar items. The Upland Sandpiper is an odd bird which appears to be closely related to the curlews. Species are: Family: Scolopacidae (part) Little Curlew, Numenius minutus Eskimo Curlew, Numenius borealis Whimbrel, Numenius phaeopus Bristle-thighed Curlew, Numenius tahitiensis Slender-billed Curlew, Numenius tenuirostris Eurasian Curlew, Numenius arquata Eastern Curlew, Numenius madagascariensis Long-billed Curlew, Numenius americanus Note that the stone-curlews are not true curlews (family Scolopacidae) but members of the family Burhinidae, which is separate but probably related. This article is from Wikipedia. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.