General Description
Upper body light grey-brown, underparts white. Curved white stripe above the eye. Bill narrow and curves down at the tip. Wings with a wide white stripe underneath. Legs black. When breeding: head, neck, beak and underparts red-brown. Body up to 23 cm long.
Biology
Curlew Sandpipers migrate from the northern hemisphere where they breed, to Victoria in summer. They arrive in September and depart in March-April.
Habitat
Intertidal mudflats, also freshwater swamps and saltwater lakes.
Coastal shores
Distribution guide
Worldwide.
Species Group
Birds › Sandpipers and curlews
Max Size
23 cm
Diet
Carnivore
Commercial Species
Yes
Global Dispersal
Recorded in Australia
Conservation Status
- DSE Advisory List : Not listed
- EPBC Act 1999 : Not listed
- IUCN Red List : Least Concern
Author
Wayne Longmore is a Senior Collection manager of terrestrial vertebrates at Museum Victoria.
Author
Rory O'Brien is a Collection Manager of terrestrial vertebrates at Museum Victoria.
Cite this page as:
Longmore, N. W. & O'Brien, R., 2011, Curlew Sandpiper, Calidris ferruginea, in Taxonomic Toolkit for marine life of Port Phillip Bay, Museum Victoria, accessed 13 Jan 2025, http://136.154.202.208:8098/species/7935
