{{Short description|Species of bird}} {{Speciesbox | status = EN | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = <ref name=iucn>{{cite iucn |title=''Numenius madagascariensis'' |author=BirdLife International |year=2024 |article-number=e.T22693199A250045646 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2024-2.RLTS.T22693199A250045646.en}}</ref> | image = Numenius madagascariensis 1 - Stockton Sandspit.jpg | genus = Numenius | species = madagascariensis | authority = (Linnaeus, 1766) | synonyms_ref = <ref name="AFD">{{cite web|url=https://biodiversity.org.au/afd/taxa/Numenius_%28Numenius%29_madagascariensis |title=Species ''Numenius (Numenius) madagascariensis'' (Linnaeus, 1766) |author=Australian Biological Resources Study|date=12 February 2010|work=Australian Faunal Directory|publisher=Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Australian Government|access-date=13 December 2018|location=Canberra, Australian Capital Territory}}</ref> | synonyms = ''Scolopax madagascariensis'' {{small|Linnaeus,&nbsp;1766}}<br /> ''Numenius cyanopus'' {{small|Vieillot,&nbsp;1817}}<br /> ''Numenius australis'' {{small|Gould,&nbsp;1838}}<br /> ''Numenius rostratus'' {{small|Gray,&nbsp;1843}} }}

The '''Far Eastern curlew''' ('''''Numenius madagascariensis''''') is a large wader most similar in appearance to the long-billed curlew, but slightly larger. It is mostly brown, differentiated from other curlews by its plain, unpatterned brown underwing, and brown rump. It is not only the largest curlew but probably the world's largest sandpiper, at {{convert|60|-|66|cm|in|abbr=on}} in length and {{convert|110|cm|in|abbr=on}} across the wings.<ref name=Marchant>{{cite book | first1 = Peter | last1 = Hayman | first2 = John | last2 = Marchant | first3 = Tony | last3 = Prater | title = Shorebirds | publisher = Christopher Helm | year = 1986 | location = London, UK | pages = 142, 320–321 | isbn = 0-7099-2034-2 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=SKF0BH7BkksC&pg=320}}</ref> The weight is {{convert|390|-|1350|g|lb|abbr=on}}, which is equalled by the Eurasian curlew; females are on average about 100&nbsp;g heavier than males.<ref name="HBW">{{cite book | last1=Hoyo | first1=Josep del | last2=Elliott | first2=Andrew | last3=Sargatal | first3=Jordi | title=Handbook of the Birds of the World: Hoatzin to auks | publisher=Lynx edicions | publication-place=Barcelona | date=1992 | isbn=84-87334-20-2 | volume=3 | page=505 }}</ref> The extremely long bill, at {{convert|12.8|-|20.1|cm|in|abbr=on}} in length, rivals the bill size of the closely related long-billed curlew as the longest bill for a sandpiper.<ref name=Marchant/> It overlaps in range with the eastern subspecies of the Eurasian curlew ''Numenius arquata orientalis'', from which it is most easily told by its brown rump and lower back, rather than white.<ref name=Marchant/>

==Taxonomy== [[File:Far Eastern Curlew (Numenius madagascariensis), Ola, Magadan Oblast, Russia 1.jpg|left|thumb|Far Eastern curlew in flight on its breeding grounds near Magadan in the far east of Russia. The brown rump is just visible.]] In 1760 the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson included a description of the Far Eastern curlew in his ''Ornithologie'' based on a specimen. He used the French name {{lang|fr|Le courly de Madagascar}} and the Latin ''Numenius madagascariensis''.<ref name=brisson>{{ cite book | last=Brisson | first=Mathurin Jacques | author-link=Mathurin Jacques Brisson | year=1760 | title=Ornithologie, ou, Méthode contenant la division des oiseaux en ordres, sections, genres, especes & leurs variétés | volume=5 | language=fr, la | place=Paris | publisher=Jean-Baptiste Bauche | pages=321–24, Plate 28 | url=https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/36294667}} The two stars (**) at the start of the section indicates that Brisson based his description on the examination of a specimen.</ref> Although Brisson coined Latin names, these do not conform to the binomial system and are not recognised by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature.<ref name=allen>{{cite journal | last=Allen | first=J.A. | author-link=Joel Asaph Allen | year=1910 | title=Collation of Brisson's genera of birds with those of Linnaeus | journal=Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History | volume=28 | pages=317–335 | hdl=2246/678 }}</ref> When in 1766 the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus updated his ''Systema Naturae'' for the twelfth edition, he added 240 species that had been previously described by Brisson.<ref name=allen/> One of these was the Far Eastern curlew, for which he coined the binomial name ''Scolopax madagascariensis''.<ref>{{cite book | last=Linnaeus | first=Carl | author-link=Carl Linnaeus | year=1766 | title=Systema naturae: per regna tria natura, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis | edition=12th | volume=1, Part 1 | publisher=Laurentii Salvii | place=Holmiae (Stockholm) | language=la | page=242 | url=https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/42946438}}</ref> The name ''madagascariensis'', referring to Madagascar, was an error by Brisson, with the type locality now known to have been Makassar on Sulawesi, Indonesia, where it winters; the species has never been recorded in Madagascar.<ref name="HBW"/>

== Distribution and habitat == thumb|Cairns Esplanade, Queensland, Australia The Far Eastern curlew spends its breeding season in northeastern Asia, including Siberia to Kamchatka, and Mongolia. Its breeding habitat is composed of marshy and swampy wetlands and lakeshores. Most individuals spend the non-breeding season in coastal Australia, with some wintering in Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines and New Zealand, where they stay at estuaries, beaches, and salt marshes; a few winter as far north as southern China and Taiwan.<ref name="HBW"/> During its migration the Far Eastern curlew commonly makes stopovers on the mudflats of the Yellow Sea and some on the coasts of Japan.<ref name="HBW"/>

It uses its long, decurved bill to probe for invertebrates in the mud. It may feed in solitary but it generally congregates in large flocks to migrate or roost. Its call is a sharp, clear whistle, ''cuuue-reee'', often repeated.

=== Diet === On its breeding grounds the Far Eastern curlew consumes insects, such as larvae of beetles and flies, and amphipods. During migration it also feeds on berries. In the non-breeding season, it consumes marine invertebrates, preferring crabs and small molluscs but also taking other crustaceans and polychaetes.<ref name=iucn/>

== Conservation status == As of 2024, there are an estimated 20,000 – 35,000 mature individuals in the world. Formerly classified as least concern by the IUCN until 2009, it was found to have been rarer than previously believed and thus its status was uplisted to Vulnerable in 2010 and subsequently to Endangered in 2015, where it currently remains.<ref name=iucn/>

In Australia its status under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act is "critically endangered".<ref>Department of the Environment, Numenius madagascariensis — Eastern Curlew, accessed 30 May 2015 http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicspecies.pl?taxon_id=847</ref>

=== Threats === Its population decline has been linked<ref name=":0">{{Cite Q|Q33587083}}</ref> to the massive tidal flat reclamations by China, North Korea and South Korea along the coasts of the Yellow Sea, which have caused a greater than 65% loss of mudflats<ref>{{Cite Q|Q55868653}}</ref> where the Far Eastern curlew makes stopovers.<ref name=":0" />

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==References== {{Reflist}}

==Further reading== {{Commons category|Numenius madagascariensis}} {{Wikispecies|Numenius madagascariensis}} * O'Brien, Michael et al. (2006). ''The Shorebird Guide''. New York: Houghton Mifflin. {{ISBN|0-618-43294-9}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20060914111411/http://deh.gov.au/biodiversity/migratory/waterbirds/yellow-sea/chapter4-4-6.html A Yellow Sea species account]

{{Scolopacidae|1}} {{Taxonbar|from=Q76496}}

Far Eastern curlew Category:Birds of North Asia Category:Wintering birds of Oceania Far Eastern curlew Far Eastern curlew