NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Eurasian Curlew
Numenius arquata (Linnaeus, 1758)
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 Eurasian curlew or common curlew (Numenius arquata) is a very large wader in the family Scolopacidae. It is one of the most widespread of the curlews, breeding across temperate Europe and Asia. In Europe, this species is often referred to just as the "curlew", and in Scotland known as the "whaup" in Scots.
Wikipedia contributors, Eurasian curlew; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T04:45:00.564652+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Numenius arquata (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Name authority
- (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Common name
- Eurasian 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 arquata (Linnaeus, 1758)
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 |
| Long-billed CurlewNumenius americanus Bechstein, 1812 | 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 |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
North America
Oceania
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=176596 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:483SZ. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.