Numenius madagascariensis
Silhouette: PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
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 Royal National Park on a given day, based on 107 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 104th most-seen of the 178 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February, August and December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Far Eastern Curlew in Royal National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January, March–July and September–November, the lowest months.
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.
3rd of 6
Of the 6 parks where we can rate Far Eastern Curlew sightings, Royal National Park ranks 3rd at under 5%. The best odds are in Bako National Park (Malaysia, about 10%) and Wilsons Promontory National Park (Australia, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Far Eastern Curlew is recorded against all the birds logged in Royal National Park (107 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.
