Description The Curlew Sandpiper is a fairly small sized shorebird. The non breeding plumage is pale grey above with white underside. It has a long dark coloured bill and black legs and feet. The breeding plumage is dark grey above and reddish brown below, with black bars on the wings. Young birds are grey and brown above with a white underside and tan coloured breast.
Size 20 cm long
Habitat mudflats, lagoons, mangroves, beaches,
Food insects, worms and other small invertebrates.
Breeding The nest is a shallow hollow on a ridge of the tundra. It does not breed in Australia.
Range The Curlew Sandpiper breeds in the Siberian Arctic. It migrates to the southern hemisphere in northern winter and is a visitor to coastline of Australia.
Credits: Map is from Atlas of Living Australia website at https://biocache.ala.org.au licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
