Eurasian Curlew

Numenius arquata

Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Scolopacidae
Presence in the Strait: Seasonal
Abundance: scarce
Protection in Spain: In danger of extinction (Galicia) · Spanish Catalogue
In Spanish: Zarapito real

Marine taxonomy: validated in WoRMS, AphiaID 159037

Photograph: Joanne Goldby, CC BY-SA, vía iNaturalist

Length: 50–60 cm
Wingspan: 80–100 cm
Weight: 770–1,000 g

Presence in the Strait

Scarce winter visitor to coasts and marshes (<30), with a few summer visitors. Numbers decreasing over the past 20 years.

Identification

May be confused with Whimbrel but larger, with a longer bill and no crown markings. Normally form larger groups.

Movements

More abundant in prenuptial migration, with peaks in 2nd hf. March and 1st hf. October.

Ring recoveries

Germany (5), Austria (1) and France (1). PHALAROPODIDAE

Bioestrecho editorial text. Last revised: 8 September 2026.

Photographs from iNaturalist observations with the licence checked file by file. Those marked “Strait” were taken within the area; place and date are those of each observation.

Calendar in the Strait

22 %

Peak in September. Observations under CC0 or CC BY licences. The distribution also reflects observation effort.

Where it is seen

Open records from the atlas database, in cells of about 3.6 km. Opacity follows the square root of the count, and also reflects where people observe most.

See on the map

First open record: 16 April 1981
Latest record: 6 December 2025

The oldest and the most recent open observation in the extended area. A recent first observation does not mean the species is new: it means nobody had published it openly before.

Conservation

The catalogues, Andalusian and Spanish, are what binds; the Red Book assesses the Spanish population with IUCN criteria, and the global Red List is the context.

LCNTVUENCR

Andalusian Catalogue: Special protection (List)
Spanish Catalogue: Special protection (List) (Excepto Galicia) · In danger of extinction (Galicia)
Red Book of the Birds of Spain 2021: CR · Critically endangered · breeding — LC · Least concern · wintering or migrating
Global Red List (IUCN): NT · Near threatened

Andalusian Catalogue: Junta de Andalucía, list of 24 April 2025. Spanish Catalogue: MITECO, table of 30 June 2025. Red Book: SEO/BirdLife, 2021 (Annex I). IUCN: via GBIF, 6 September 2026. Red Book and IUCN categories are assessments; catalogue categories are legal obligations.

Phenology compared

Monthly distribution in proportion, by decade. It shows whether the passage is getting earlier or later.

2000–2009

2010–2026

Proportions, not totals: observation effort grew faster than any population.

Where they come from

7 birds ringed in other countries and recovered in the area.

Germany5
Austria1
France1

See the journey on the map

Same genus in the Strait

Whimbrel40–46 cm · Seasonal
Slender-billed Curlew36–41 cm · Vagrant

Species of the same genus that also occur here, ordered by how close they are in size. Being relatives does not mean they are confused in the field, but that is where the doubts start: compare size and season.

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Scolopacidae
GBIF taxon key: 2481792

Sources

Distribution and calendar: Bioestrecho's own database, ingested from GBIF and OBIS
Photograph: Joanne Goldby, CC BY-SA, vía iNaturalist
Taxonomy: GBIF backbone, pending WoRMS for marine taxa
Editorial text: written by Bioestrecho
Last revised: 8 September 2026

Eurasian Curlew

Presence in the Strait

Identification

Movements

Ring recoveries

Gallery