Little Curlew

Little Curlew
This species is defined as a Review Species . Please submit your records of this species via our record submission page .

Scientific Name: Numenius minutus

Malay Name: Kendi Kerdil Asia

Chinese Name: 小杓鹬

Range: Breeding range in northen parts of Siberia. Wintering in Australia. Passage migrant to eastern parts of Indonesia and the Philippines.

Taxonomy: Monotypic.

Size: 29-32 cm

Identification: A small greyish brown curlew species that resembles the larger Eurasian Whimbrel. Smaller and finer billed than its larger relatives and pale supercillium contrast sharply with black eyestripe. Underparts also more buffish. Legs and feet yellowish to bluish-grey.

Similar looking species: Eurasian Whimbrel

Habitat: Found in open fields, grasslands, barren cultivation, margins of freshwater and also on coastal mudflats during migration.

Behaviour/Ecology: Feeds mainly by picking.

Local Status: Vagrant

Conservation Status: Least Concern (BirdLife International 2016)

Featured articles:

Past records in our database:

Showing only accepted records. Note that records currently under review are also not displayed, and the list may not be a full list of records of this species in Singapore. For more details, check the database here.

Migrant bar chart (see more bar charts):

Little Curlew Numenius minutus
Average number of individuals by week based on Singapore Bird Database data, Jul 2014 to Jun 2024 (all records)
Early date 25 Oct 1997
Late date 19 Apr 1998
Bar chart not displayed for this species; no records in the given time period.
Only two past confirmed records: Oct/Nov 1997, at Tuas; and Apr 1998, at Sungei Buloh.
Little Curlew at Leanyer Sewage Works, Australia. Photo Credit: Con Foley

External Links:

Conservation Status: IUCN Red List Page

Sound Recordings: xeno-canto Link

Wikipedia Entry: Wikipedia Link

eBird Species page: eBird (Little Curlew)

References:

BirdLife International. (2016). Numenius minutus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22693165A93388294.en. Accessed on 1 January 2023

Robson, C. (2014). Field guide to the birds of South-East Asia (Second Edition). Bloomsbury Publishing, London.

RECOMMENDED CITATION

Bird Society of Singapore. (n.d.). Little Curlew. Retrieved on June 9, 2025 from https://singaporebirds.com/species/little-curlew.

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