The Shorebirds: Long Billed Curlew

The Long-billed Curlew, is technically a shorebird found in Central and Western North America. However, I have seen them on fields and dry prairies as well. Their behavior seems more like a wading bird then a shorebird, but I'll leave that to the "experts." It is also called the "candlestick bird". In the winter, the species migrates southwards, as well as towards the coastline. Adults have a very long bill curved downwards, a long neck and a small head. The neck and underparts are a light cinnamon, while the crown is streaked with brown. The Long Billed Curlew displays an elaborate courtship dance during breeding season. Fast and looping display flights are also common. A small hollow is lined with various weeds and grasses to serve as the nest. Four eggs are always laid as this is a characteristic of shorebirds. The eggs vary in hue from white to olive. The Long-billed Curlew is a precocial bird, and the chicks leave the nest soon after hatching. Both parents look after the young. The bird usually feeds in flocks. Using its long bill, it probes the mud near its habitat, foraging for suitable food. The usual food consists of crabs and various other small invertebrates. The species also feeds on grasshoppers, beetles and other insects. This bird has occasionally been known to eat the eggs of other birds. The population was significantly reduced at the end of the 19th century by hunting. Numbers have rebounded somewhat in more recent times. Although formerly classified as a "Near Threatened" new research has confirmed that the Long-billed Curlew is again common and widespread. Consequently, it is downlisted to "Least Concerned" status. Candlestick Point in San Francisco was named after the large flocks of Long Billed Curlews that could be found there. Subsequently Candlestick Park Stadium inherited the name. Ironically, the species had dramatically declined in the San Francisco area by the early 20th century already, being "practically extinct" by  1916.  So, by the time the stadium was constructed in the 1950s no "Candlestick Birds" were left.

Long Billed Curlew

photo taken at Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge, California