The Long-billed Curlew is the largest shorebird in North America, the female's extraordinarily long, curved bill — up to 8.5 inches — used to probe deep into burrows for crabs and invertebrates in winter and to pluck insects from grass in summer. It is a bird of western grasslands in summer, shifting to coastal mudflats in winter. Its loud, rising 'cur-LEEE' call carries far across open landscapes.
Best time to see a Long-billed Curlew
The best time to see a Long-billed Curlew is July–January, when about 65% of U.S. sightings happen, based on 22,235 research-grade iNaturalist observations.
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