NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Long-billed Curlew
Numenius americanus Bechstein, 1812
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The long-billed curlew (Numenius americanus) is a large North American shorebird of the family Scolopacidae. This species was also called "sicklebird" and the "candlestick bird". The species breeds in central and western North America, migrating southward and coastward for the winter.
Wikipedia contributors, Long-billed curlew; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:14:20.867825+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Numenius americanus Bechstein, 1812
- Name authority
- Bechstein, 1812
- Common name
- Long-billed Curlew
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Scolopacidae
- Genus
- Numenius
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderCharadriiformes
- familyScolopacidae Rafinesque, 1815
- genusNumenius Brisson, 1760
- speciesNumenius americanus Bechstein, 1812
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Numenius. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Eastern CurlewNumenius madagascariensis (Linnaeus, 1766) | ScolopacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Little CurlewNumenius minutus Gould, 1841 | ScolopacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Eurasian WhimbrelNumenius phaeopus (Linnaeus, 1758) | ScolopacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Eurasian CurlewNumenius arquata (Linnaeus, 1758) | ScolopacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Eskimo CurlewNumenius borealis (J. R. Forster, 1772) | ScolopacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Bristle-thighed CurlewNumenius tahitiensis (J. F. Gmelin, 1789) | ScolopacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Slender-billed CurlewNumenius tenuirostris Vieillot, 1817 | ScolopacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Numenius occidentalis Woodhouse, 1852 Woodhouse, 1852 | synonym |
| Numenius americanus occidentalis Woodhouse, 1852 Woodhouse, 1852 | synonym |
| Numenius americanus americanus Bechstein, 1812 Bechstein, 1812 | synonym |
| Numenius americanus parvus Bishop, 1910 Bishop, 1910 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
North America
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=176593 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:483SY. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.