Wild Animals

Wild Curlew Coastal Estuaries

Eurasian curlews use estuarine mudflats as critical wintering habitat, probing for invertebrate prey, and their welfare during winter depends on undisturbed access to intertidal feeding areas.

Key Facts

Non-breeding curlews winter on estuaries and coastal marshes from August onwards
They probe soft sediment for lugworms, ragworms and crustaceans using their distinctive curved bill
A curlew needs to consume around 20% of its body weight daily in cold weather
Estuarine development and disturbance at high-tide roost sites are primary winter welfare threats

Welfare Considerations

Curlews denied undisturbed high-tide roost sites expend energy in repeated flights that deplete reserves needed for cold weather survival. Estuary reclamation and coastal development permanently removes intertidal foraging habitat. Individual curlews with site fidelity return to the same wintering areas for decades; loss of a wintering site removes habitat for multiple generations.

What You Can Do

Support estuarine wildlife trusts and coastal nature reserves
Advocate for strong protection of intertidal habitat in marine planning policy
Minimise disturbance on estuaries at dawn and dusk when curlews are most active
Report curlew counts at wintering sites to the WeBS survey