Curlew Sandpiper - profile

Indicative distribution

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Key:

known

predicted

The areas shown in pink and/purple are the sub-regions where the species or community is known or predicted to occur. They may not occur thoughout the sub-region but may be restricted to certain areas. ( click here to see geographic restrictions). The information presented in this map is only indicative and may contain errors and omissions.

Scientific name: Calidris ferruginea

Conservation status in NSW: Critically Endangered

Commonwealth status: Critically Endangered

Gazetted date: 09 Aug 2024

Profile last updated: 12 Aug 2024

Description

The Curlew Sandpiper is a small (18-23 cm), highly-gregarious, migratory shorebird with a medium-length, down-curved bill and longish black legs. During most of their time in Australia, adult birds are in non-breeding plumage, which is a nondescript mottled grey above and paler below, with indistinct white eyebrows and a white rump. In flight there is a white line along the centre of the upper-wings. In breeding plumage the face and underparts are chestnut, and the upperparts are mottled chestnut and black. The down-curved bill distinguishes it from the other similar-sized sandpipers. Many other shorebirds of this size have similar colouration and are easily cofused with the Curlew Sandpiper, but they differ in bill shape, length or colour; leg colour or length; and some lack a white wing bar or white rump.

Distribution

The Curlew Sandpiper is distributed around most of the Australian coastline (including Tasmania). It occurs along the entire coast of NSW, particularly in the Hunter Estuary, and sometimes in freshwater wetlands in the Murray-Darling Basin. Inland records are probably mainly of birds pausing for a few days during migration.
The Curlew Sandpiper breeds in Siberia and migrates to Australia (as well as Africa and Asia) for the non-breeding period, arriving in Australia between August and November, and departing between March and mid-April.

Habitat and ecology

It generally occupies littoral and estuarine habitats, and in New South Wales is mainly found in intertidal mudflats of sheltered coasts.
It also occurs in non-tidal swamps, lakes and lagoons on the coast and sometimes inland.
It forages in or at the edge of shallow water, occasionally on exposed algal mats or waterweed, or on banks of beach-cast seagrass or seaweed.
It roosts on shingle, shell or sand beaches; spits or islets on the coast or in wetlands; or sometimes in salt marsh, among beach-cast seaweed, or on rocky shores.
Curlew Sandpipers are omnivorous, feeding on worms, molluscs, crustaceans, insects and some seeds.
Birds breed at 2 years of age and the oldest recorded bird is 19 years old. Most birds caught in Australia are between 3 and 5 years old.

Regional distribution and habitat

Click on a region below to view detailed distribution, habitat and vegetation information.

Threats

Development pressure and human disturbance in roosting foraging sites in coastal areas, both in Australia and especially their staging grounds during migration.
Their tidal feeding grounds on the Yellow Sea are undergoing a rapid rate of transformation due to land reclamation, agriculture and industry with about 10% of the world's human population occupying the river catchments draining into the Yellow Sea.
Human disturbance at roosting and foraging sites (e.g. walking, fishing, baiting, pets, boating, horses, 4WD, biking, surfing).
Major floodplain wetlands in the Murray-Darling Basin have had up to 60% reduction in flow, and consequently 40-77% of their area has been destroyed or degraded over the past century.
Climate Change has also been proposed as a potential threat to migratory shorebirds in their breeding grounds. Average temperatures in the arctic have risen at almost twice the rate of the rest of the world and may detrimentally affect species such as the Curlew Sandpiper that nest in open tundra.
Mangrove incursion into saltmarsh habitat.
Groundwater pollution impacting foraging habitat and resources.
Weed invasion of key habitat.
Habitat loss due to development including industrial development e.g. major port expansions and other transport related developments.
Habitat loss from erosion, climate change inundation and sea-level rise.

Recovery strategies

A targeted strategy for managing this species has been developed under the Saving Our Species program; click here for details. For more information on the Saving Our Species program click here

Activities to assist this species

Control dogs on beaches and in estuaries.
Raise visitor awareness of the presence of this and other threatened shorebird species; provide information on how visitors' actions will affect the species' survival.
Conduct searches for the species in suitable habitat in proposed development areas.
Manage estuaries, inland water bodies and the surrounding landscape to maintain the natural hydrological regimes.
Protect coastal areas from pollution.
Protect and maintain known or potential habitat; implement protection zones around recent records.
Protect foraging and roosting areas from disturbance or inappropriate development.
Assess the importance of sites to the species' survival, including linkages provided between ecological resources across the broader landscape.

Information sources

Bamford, M., Watkins, D., Bancroft, W., Tischler, G. and Wahl, J. (2008) Migratory shorebirds of the East Asian - Australasian flyway: population estimates and internationally important sites. (Wetlands International - Oceania, Canberra)
Barter MA (2006) The Yellow Sea - a vitally important staging region for migratory shorebirds. Pp. 663-7 in Boere, G.C., Galbraith, C.A. and Stroud, D.A. Waterbirds around the world - A global overview of the conservation, management and research of the world's waterbird flyways. (Scottish Natural Heritage, Edinburgh)
Callaghan, T.V. (2010) Recent and projected changes in arctic species distributions and potential ranges. Section 7.3.5 of the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment. International Arctic Science Committee.
Chafer, C.J. and Brandis, C.C. (2006) Changes in the waterbird community of the Lake Illawarra estuary: 20 years of research. Wetlands (Australia) 21(2): 183-202
Dawes, J. (2011) The declining population of Curlew Sandpiper Calidris ferruginea indicates that it may now be Endangered in New South Wales. Stilt 60:9-13
Garnett, S.T., Szabo, J.K. and Dutson, G. (2011) Action Plan for Australian Birds 2010. (CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood, Victoria)
Geering, A., Agnew, L. and Harding, S. (2007) Shorebirds of Australia. (CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood)
Gosbell, K. and Clemens, R. (2006) Population Monitoring in Australia: Some insights after 25 years and future directions. Stilt 50: 162-175
Higgins, P. and Davies, S. (eds.) (1996) Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds Volume 3: Snipe to Pigeons. (Oxford University Press, Melbourne)
Kingsford, R.T. and Porter, J.L. (2009) Monitoring waterbird populations with aerial surveys - what have we learnt? Wildlife Research 36(1): 29-40
Kingsford, R.T. and Thomas, R.F. (2004) Destruction of wetlands and waterbird populations by dams and irrigation on the Murrumbidgee River in arid Australia. Environmental Management 34(3): 383-396
Minton, C., Wahl, J., Gibbs, H., Jessop, R., Hassell, C. and Boyle, A. (2011) Recoveries and flag sightings of waders which spend the non-breeding season in Australia. Stilt 59: 17-43
Murray Catchment Management Authority and Office of Environment and Heritage (2012) New South Wales Murray Biodiversity Management Plan: A guide to terrestrial biodiversity investment priorities in the central and eastern NSW Murray catchment. (Murray CMA, Albury)
Nebel, S., Porter, J.L. and Kingsford, R.T. (2008) Long-term trends of shorebird populations in eastern Australian and impacts of freshwater extraction. Biological Conservation 141: 971-980
NSW Scientific Committee (2011) Curlew Sandpiper Calidris ferruginea - Endangered species determination - final.

IBRA Bioregion	IBRA Subregion	Known or predicted	Geographic restrictions region

Brigalow Belt South	Narrandool	Known	None
Broken Hill Complex	Barrier Range	Known	None
Channel Country	Bulloo	Known	None
Channel Country	Central Depression	Predicted	None
Cobar Peneplain	Lachlan Plains	Known	None
Darling Riverine Plains	Bogan-Macquarie	Known	None
Darling Riverine Plains	Great Darling Anabranch	Known	None
Darling Riverine Plains	Menindee	Predicted	None
Darling Riverine Plains	Wilcannia Plains	Known	None
Mulga Lands	Paroo-Darling Sands	Predicted	None
New England Tablelands	Glenn Innes-Guyra Basalts	Known	None
NSW North Coast	Coffs Coast and Escarpment	Known	None
NSW North Coast	Karuah Manning	Known	None
NSW North Coast	Macleay Hastings	Known	None
NSW North Coast	Yuraygir	Known	None
NSW South Western Slopes	Inland Slopes	Known	None
NSW South Western Slopes	Lower Slopes	Known	None
Ocean	Batemans Shelf	Known	None
Ocean	Hawkesbury Shelf	Known	None
Ocean	Manning Shelf	Predicted	None
Ocean	South Pacific Ocean	Predicted	None
Ocean	Tweed-Moreton	Known	None
Ocean	Twofold Shelf	Known	None
Ocean - Other State	Northern Australian Coastal Waters	Known	None
Ocean - Other State	Southern Australian Coastal Waters	Known	None
Other State	Jervis Bay Territory	Predicted	None
Other State	QLD	Known	None
Other State	SA	Known	None
Other State	VIC	Known	None
Pacific Subtropical Islands	Lord Howe Island	Known	None
Riverina	Lachlan	Known	None
Riverina	Murray Fans	Known	None
Riverina	Murray Scroll Belt	Known	None
Riverina	Murrumbidgee	Known	None
Riverina	Robinvale Plains	Known	None
South East Corner	Bateman	Known	None
South East Corner	East Gippsland Lowlands	Known	None
South East Corner	South East Coastal Ranges	Known	None
South Eastern Highlands	Bathurst	Known	None
South Eastern Highlands	Monaro	Predicted	None
South Eastern Queensland	Burringbar-Conondale Ranges	Known	None
South Eastern Queensland	Clarence Lowlands	Known	None
South Eastern Queensland	Scenic Rim	Predicted	None
South Eastern Queensland	Sunshine Coast-Gold Coast Lowlands	Known	None
Sydney Basin	Cumberland	Known	None
Sydney Basin	Hunter	Known	None
Sydney Basin	Illawarra	Known	None
Sydney Basin	Jervis	Known	None
Sydney Basin	Pittwater	Known	None
Sydney Basin	Sydney Cataract	Known	None
Sydney Basin	Wyong	Known	None

Images

Curlew Sandpiper, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Limicola_falcinelluas_-_Pak_Thale.jpg" class="linkBlack100" target="_blank">JJ Harrison</a>

Curlew Sandpiper, JJ Harrison Image 1 of 2.
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