Priority Species Spotlight: Curlew
Discover fascinating Curlew facts, find out why they’re threatened, and what we’re doing to help them.
Conservation StatusRed(Birds of Conservation Concern)
Population StatusDeclining
Main ThreatsLow breeding success due to loss of breeding habitat and subsequent increased predation of eggs and chicks.
Get to know Curlews
Curlews have long legs, a long downward curving bill, and brown plumage. They’re the UK’s largest wading bird. Their distinctive bubbling call used to be a common sound of upland areas but sadly we’ve lost around half of our breeding Curlews since the mid-1990s.
The UK breeding population of Curlews is of international importance. Around 30% of the west European population spend winter in the UK, and about a quarter of Europe’s breeding Curlews breed here.
In winter, they’re a magical sight around our coasts. Come spring, Curlews head inland to breed, mainly in the uplands but also on lowland farms and nature reserves.
Impressing their mate
When it comes to impressing their mate, Curlews really put the effort in. Male Curlews will perform incredible display flights – a parachuting descent accompanied by their bubbling song.
Curlews' calling
Curlews' songs and calls are referenced throughout literature, notably in poems by Robert Burns, W.B. Yeats and Dylan Thomas. Sometimes they represent loneliness and grief, sometimes they express joy – and often, they’re used to evoke a sense of place and wildness. If you’re a musician, you might be interested to know that the reason it sounds both uplifting and melancholy, is that they sing in both a major and a minor key.
Despite their declining population, during the breeding season they can be found across the uplands of Northern England, Wales, Scotland, and some Scottish islands, including Orkney and Shetland.
Why are Curlews in trouble?
Curlews are on the Red list of the UK’s Birds of Conservation Concern, and classed as Near Threatened globally on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
The decline of Curlews is due to low breeding success. This has been caused by the loss of suitable breeding habitat with land use changes, particularly through changes in agricultural practices. These changes, among other factors, have also seen a rise in generalist predators, such as Foxes and Crows, which has led to a high level of predation of Curlew eggs and chicks.
Habitats have become less suitable for Curlews. Curlews need wet areas to feed themselves and their chicks, but water is commonly drained from farmland. Drier landscapes mean that Curlews may find food harder to locate.
The shift from hay meadows to silage in recent years has significantly reduced suitable Curlew habitat, with earlier and more frequent cutting destroying nests and chicks.
Forestry also impacts Curlews, because plantations provide habitats for predators such as Foxes and Crows – and therefore Curlews won’t breed within 1km of these areas.
How is the RSPB helping Curlews?
We’re working hard to secure the future of Curlews, through the Curlew Recovery Programme. This is an umbrella for all the actions we’re taking. It includes:
Protection on our nature reserves and Priority Landscapes
We’re managing the habitat so it’s in the best possible condition for Curlews and, to help get chicks all the way to fledging, we also keep predators out with predator exclusion fencing. In some areas we use additional methods to protect chicks from predators including diversionary feeding to keep predators away, and targeted lethal control where Foxes or Crows are abundant.
Support for farmers
We provide advice to farmers on how they can help Curlews on their land. For example. by creating wet areas, farmers can make it easier for chicks to find enough worms and insects to feed on, and by cutting rush they create a mosaic of habitat for chicks to hide and feed.
Building a team of volunteers
We are lucky to have groups of volunteers across the UK who undertake a range of work including surveying, nest finding and protecting nests with fences. This means that we have local networks of Curlew champions.
Policy work
We’re campaigning for a protected area network for breeding Curlews and government support for farmers to farm in a nature and climate friendly way which will benefit other species too.
UK Action Plan for Curlew
We spearheaded the creation of the UK Action Plan for Curlew, which was launched in the House of Lords in January 2026. This sets out clear actions needed to save Curlews and is the result of a collaborative effort of NGOs, farmers, land managers, government agencies and scientists.
Curlew groups
We are actively involved in Curlew groups across the UK, including Working for Waders (Scotland), the Curlew Recovery Partnership (England) and Gylfinir Cymru (Wales); we know we need to work collaboratively and at scale to save this iconic species.
Is there anything I can do to help Curlews?
One of the best ways to help UK wildlife such as Curlews is by supporting nature and climate friendly farming. The RSPB continues to advocate for greater support from the UK and devolved governments for these farmers. Many farmers, including members of the Nature Friendly Farming Network, are already showing how farms can be productive, profitable, and alive with the sounds of Curlews and other birds.
- You can find out more about the Nature Friendly Farming Network.
- The Curlew LIFE site also offers advice for farmers to encourage Curlews on their land.
- Check the RSPB volunteering pages for any opportunities to get involved in Curlew conservation.
- If you’re in a Curlew breeding area, see if there’s a community action group you could join.
Taking species on a journey to recovery
Helping species to reach a healthy conservation status is a journey. Each journey is tailored to the species in question, but shares four stages:
1. DiagnosisIdentifying there's a problem, and researching to find out what's causing it
2. Testing solutionsDeveloping practical solutions and trialling them to make sure they work
3. RecoveryProviding these solutions across the whole range of the species
4. Long-term legacyReaching improved conservation status and securing a long-term legacy for the species’ recovery
Testing solutions
We know what needs to be done to help Curlews, and we have an Action Plan to put this into practice. However, the status of Curlews varies between landscapes. In some areas, we’re still finessing what’s needed, and we’re in the Testing Solutions phase, and in others, it’s working, and we are beginning to see signs of recovery.
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Thank you!
Thank you to our funders, including EU LIFE, Peace Plus Nature Programme, Natural Resources Wales, Nature Restoration Fund and Nature Networks Fund round 4.
Also, thank you so much to RSPB members and supporters. Without you, this work would not be possible.
The call of the Curlew - helping Lough Erne's iconic species | RSPB Northern Ireland
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Visit the best place in Scotland for breeding Curlews
Did you know?
- The tip of a Curlew’s bill is extremely sensitive, allowing it to feel around in mud for prey.
- Curlews were once so common in Cornwall, they were served in pies
- Curlews return to the same breeding site every year – and in some cases, to exactly the same place in the shoreline in winter!
