Numenius madagascariensis
Silhouette: PhyloPic
In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%
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 |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Far Eastern Curlew sighting in Seoul on a given day, based on 131 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 115th most-seen of the 231 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, and over a week to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Far Eastern Curlew in Seoul on a given day, against under 5% in September to July, the lowest months. That is one of Seoul's wettest months, with about 260 mm of rain against 20 mm in January.
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.
4th of 14
Of the 14 cities where we can rate Far Eastern Curlew sightings, Seoul ranks 4th at under 5%. The best odds are in Makassar (Indonesia, about 10%), Brisbane (Australia, under 5%) and Naha (Japan, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Far Eastern Curlew is recorded against all the birds logged in Seoul (131 verified sightings), 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.
