Numenius madagascariensis
Silhouette: PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
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 60–66 cm (24–26 in) in length and 110 cm (43 in) across the wings. The weight is 390–1,350 g (0.86–2.98 lb), which is equalled by the Eurasian curlew; females are on average about 100 g heavier than males. The extremely long bill, at 12.8–20.1 cm (5.0–7.9 in) in length, rivals the bill size of the closely related long-billed curlew as the longest bill for a sandpiper. 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.
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 Le courly de Madagascar and the Latin Numenius madagascariensis. Although Brisson coined Latin names, these do not conform... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bako National Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 2 | Wilsons Promontory National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Royal National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Noosa National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Bali Barat National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 6 | Daintree National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Far Eastern Curlew sighting in Bako National Park on a given day, based on 18 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 44th most-seen of the 70 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Far Eastern Curlew in Bako National Park on a given day, against about 10% in January, March–July and September–October, the lowest months. November and December have too few records to rate.
Between 2 and 5 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Far Eastern Curlew sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 6 parks where we can rate Far Eastern Curlew sightings, Bako National Park has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Wilsons Promontory National Park (Australia, under 5%) and Royal National Park (Australia, under 5%).
Same genus: Numenius
The closest relatives of the Far Eastern Curlew that you can see in Bako National Park (genus Numenius, Curlews) are Whimbrel (about 30%) and Eurasian Curlew (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Far Eastern Curlew is recorded against all the birds logged in Bako National Park (18 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
