Curlew (Numenius arquata)
Key Details
| Taxonomic Groups: | Vertebrate > bird > Bird |
| Red List Status: | Endangered (Breeding) [EN(br)] |
| D5 Status: | Included in the baseline Red List Index for England (Wilkins, Wilson & Brown, 2022) |
| Section 41 Status: | (not listed) |
| Taxa Included Synonym: | (none) |
| UKSI Recommended Name: | Numenius arquata |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | (Linnaeus, 1758) |
| UKSI Recommended Qualifier: | (none specified) |
| Red List Citation: | Stanbury et al., 2021 |
| Notes on taxonomy/listing: | (none) |
Criteria
| Question 1: | Does species need conservation or recovery in England? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Long term significant decline Eng BBS (25 yr -30%, 10 yr non signif +2%). 5 and 1yr trend stable. |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Interventions in some locations delivered at individual nest level. Determine Eng breeding population. |
| Question 3: | At a landscape scale, would the species benefit from untargeted habitat management to increase habitat mosaics, structural diversity, or particular successional stages? |
| Response: | No |
| Justification: | Species would potentially benefit from landscape restoration, but only if specific considerations around predator densities and habitat management could be addressed to ensure low productivity resolved. |
Species Assessment
| Current step on the Species Recovery Curve (SRC): | 6. Recovery solutions trialled |
| Recovery potential/expectation: | Medium-high |
| National Monitoring Resource: | Combination - insufficient |
| Species Comments: |
Key Actions
Key Action 1
Proposed Action: Delivery of a package of evidence-based measures (supported by advice) at a sufficient scale in the most important landscapes for Curlew recovery, to provide optimum nesting and foraging habitat, protection of nests from farming and other potentially negative operations and targeted predator management plans.
Action targets: 7. Best approach adopted at appropriate scales
Action type: Pressure mitigation
Duration: Unknown
Scale of Implementation: National
High priority sites:
Comments:
Key Action 2
Proposed Action: Research to understand the drivers of high densities of generalist predators and how these can be addressed at a landscape scale to reduce mesopredator densities in the countryside.
Action targets: 4. Autecology and pressures understood
Action type: Scientific research
Duration: >10 years
Scale of Implementation: National
High priority sites:
Comments: Key actions for other breeding waders and ground-nesting species such as black grouse
Key Action 3
Proposed Action: Consider and as appropriate implement the recommendations of SPA Reviews for this species. This should include both outstanding actions from the 2001 SPA Review and additional recommendations of the 2016 SPA Review. Up to date evidence is also required.
Action targets: 7. Best approach adopted at appropriate scales
Action type: Site protection
Duration: >10 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 10 sites
High priority sites: Upland landscapes important for Curlew both unenclosed moorland and inbye. North Pennine Moors, North York Moors, Bowland Fells, South Pennine Moors.
Comments:
Acknowledgment:
Data used on this website are adapted from Threatened species recovery actions 2025 baseline (JP065): Technical report and spreadsheet user guide (Natural England, 2025). Available here.