International Single Species Action Plan for the Conservation of the Eurasian Curlew (PDF).
Brown, D.J. 2015 International Single Species Action Plan for the Conservation of the Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata arquata, N. a. orientalis and N. a. suschkini. AEWA Technical Series No. 58. Bonn, Germany.
Full text of the International Single Species Action Plan for Eurasian Curlew, developed by a team of international experts under the African-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement (AEWA), one of the Agreements featuring under UNEP’s Convention on Migratory Species.
Saving England’s lowland Eurasian Curlews (PDF).
Reproduced with permission from British Birds britishbirds.co.uk
This paper by the Curlew Forum on saving England’s lowland Eurasian Curlews appeared in “British Birds” in May 2020.
The Eurasian Curlew – the most pressing conservation priority in the UK (PDF).
Reproduced with permission from British Birds britishbirds.co.uk
Seminal paper by Brown et al. on the plight of the Eurasian Curlew appeared in “British Birds” in November 2015.
“The Curlew” – a booklet about the Curlew by Gerry Cotter. Part of the Shire Natural History series. 24 pages. Available from Amazon and from Abe Books.
http://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/eurasian-curlew-numenius-arquata
BirdLife International Species factsheet: Numenius arquata www.birdlife.org
The Eurasian Curlew has been on the IUCN Global Red List, in the Near Threatened category, since 2008.
IUCN Red List. Map showing Curlew species range
(Wait for map and coloured areas to appear.)
BTO – British Trust for Ornithology
Bird Study Journal
Samantha E. Franks, David J. T. Douglas, Simon Gillings & James W. Pearce-Higgins. Bird Study, August 2017. (Requires subscription).
The very latest on why Curlews are declining in UK – not an easy read, but full of up-to date insights. The first ever large-scale assessment of changes in British Curlew populations (both upland and lowland). The paper finds greatest support for the detrimental effects of arable farming, afforestation and generalist predation on both Curlew abundance and population change. It calls for rapid establishment of intensive studies of identify the drivers of the patterns observed, such as: monitoring of key land uses such as agriculture, forestry and grouse moor management (e.g. burning, cutting, and predator control); predator abundance; invertebrate resources; and importantly, reproductive success.
Estimating the abundance and hatching success of breeding Curlew Numenius arquata using survey data (PDF).
M.C. Grant , C. Lodge , N. Moore , J. Easton , C. Orsman & M. Smith (2000) Estimating the abundance and hatching success of breeding Curlew Numenius arquata using survey data, Bird Study, 47:1, 41-51, DOI: 10.1080/00063650009461159
A method for censusing upland breeding waders (PDF).
A. F. Brown & K. B. Shepherd (1993) A method for censusing upland breeding waders, Bird Study, 40:3, 189-195, DOI: 10.1080/00063659309477182
M. O’Brien & K. W. Smith (1992) Changes in the status of waders breeding on wet lowland grasslands in England and Wales between 1982 and 1989, Bird Study, 39:3, 165-176, DOI: 10.1080/00063659209477115
Classic paper, mainly dealing with Lapwing, Snipe and Redshank in England and Wales (not Scotland) below 600 feet (183 m), but some references to Curlew; survey methodology of three monthly visits in April, May and June has proved to be insufficient for good monitoring of breeding Curlew. Suggests population of 750 pairs, on 15% of sites visited, the majority in northern England and Wales; numbers of Curlews have declined in the south and are very low. Little known about Curlew’s detailed breeding habitat requirements, though appears to be limited to rough grazings and damp pastures in Scotland.
Why do Curlews Numenius have decurved bills? (PDF).
N. C. Davidson , D. J. Townsend , M. W. Pienkowski & J. R. Speakman (1986) Why do Curlews Numenius have decurved bills?, Bird Study, 33:2, 61-69, DOI: 10.1080/00063658609476896
The Migration and Mortality of the Curlew in Britain and Ireland (PDF).
Ian P. Bainbridge & C. D. T. Minton (1978) The Migration and Mortality of the Curlew in Britain and Ireland, Bird Study, 25:1, 39-50, DOI: 10.1080/00063657809476573
The classic review of metal ring recoveries, quite old, but still highly relevant. It would be good to have an update, and more information on recoveries of colour rings.
BTO NEWS
What has happened to our breeding Curlews (PDF).
James Pearce-Higgins, BTO NEWS, Winter 2017.
BTO Research Reports
Report No. 703. Authors: David Jarrett, John Calladine, Chris Wernham & Mark Wilson. Published: 2017. ISBN: 978-1-908581-85-3
Bird Conservation International
Bird Conservation International (2017) 27:6–34. © BirdLife International, 2017. doi:10.1017/S0959270916000678
IBIS – International Journal of Avian Science
Variability in the area, energy and time costs of wintering waders responding to disturbance (PDF).
Collop, C., Stillman, R. A., Garbutt, A., Yates, M. G., Rispin, E. and Yates, T. (2016), Variability in the area, energy and time costs of wintering waders responding to disturbance. Ibis, 158: 711–725. doi:10.1111/ibi.12399
Baines, D., Redpath, S., Richardson, M. and Thirgood, S. (2008), The direct and indirect effects of predation by Hen Harriers Circus cyaneus on trends in breeding birds on a Scottish grouse moor. Ibis, 150: 27–36. doi:10.1111/j.1474-919X.2008.00848.x
Rehfisch, M. M., Austin, G. E., Freeman, S. N., Armitage, M. J. S. and Burton, N. H. K. (2004), The possible impact of climate change on the future distributions and numbers of waders on Britain’s non-estuarine coast. Ibis, 146: 70–81.
Journal of Applied Ecology
Upland land use predicts population decline in a globally near-threatened wader (PDF).
Douglas, D. J.T., Bellamy, P. E., Stephen, L. S., Pearce–Higgins, J. W., Wilson, J. D. and Grant, M. C. (2014), Upland land use predicts population decline in a globally near-threatened wader. J Appl Ecol, 51: 194–203. doi:10.1111/1365-2664.12167
Fletcher, K., Aebischer, N. J., Baines, D., Foster, R. and Hoodless, A. N. (2010), Changes in breeding success and abundance of ground-nesting moorland birds in relation to the experimental deployment of legal predator control. Journal of Applied Ecology, 47: 263–272. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2664.2010.01793.x
Tharme, A.P., Green, R.E., Baines, D., Bainbridge, I.P. and O’Brien, M. (2001), The effect of management for red grouse shooting on the population density of breeding birds on heather-dominated moorland. Journal of Applied Ecology, 38: 439–457. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2664.2001.00597.x
Ecology and Evolution
Evaluating the effectiveness of conservation measures for European grassland‐breeding waders (PDF).
Franks SE, Roodbergen M, Teunissen W, Carrington Cotton A, Pearce‐Higgins JW. Evaluating the effectiveness of conservation measures for European grassland‐breeding waders. Ecol Evol. 2018;00:1–14. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ece3.4532
Also see this summary on the BTO website: Evaluating the effectiveness of conservation measures for European grassland‐breeding waders.
IWSG – International Wader Study Group – Wader Study Journal
Ewing, S.R., E.S. Scragg, N. Butcher & D.J.T. Douglas. 2017. GPS tracking reveals temporal patterns in breeding season habitat use and activity of a globally Near Threatened wader, the Eurasian Curlew. Wader Study 124(3): 206–214.
WWT – Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust – Wildfowl Journal
Wildfowl (2018) 68: 155–171. Authors: John D. Sanders & Eileen C. Rees
CMS – Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals
CMS COP11 – Conservation Statements for Numeniini Species (PDF). See pages 33-36.
Submitted by BirdLife International and the International Wader Study Group. UNEP/CMS/COP11/Inf.33 28/10/2014 CMS
Hampshire Bird Report
Movements of GPS-tracked Curlews within the New Forest and The Solent (PDF).
Hampshire Bird Report 2018 – paper by Pete Potts, Andrew Hoodless, Andy Page and Phil Atkinson