adult

adult in flight European distribution on ground

Identification

Stone Curlews are easy to identify by their streaky brown plumage, long-bodied, long-tailed shape and broad white bar across the folded wing. But always it is that eye which grabs your attention, flanked by a puffy white 'bag' underneath and a bold white eyebrow above. In flight they have a long brown body, but rather black and white looking wings with two obvious white bars across the inner wing.

Habitat

Breeds on dry stony heaths and arable land.

Migration

Mediterranean and Iberian populations are mostly resident, but all other birds are migratory, wintering in southern Europe, north Africa and along the southern edge of the Sahara. A few may sometimes winter in southern England.

This information is taken from the BirdFile on the appropriate BirdGuides DVD-ROM. As well as video and sounds, our CD- and DVD-ROMs contain additional text on Voice, Sexing, Ageing, Food, Nests and Eggs and more.

For the purposes of our bird news services, Stone Curlew is classed as Scarce: broadly speaking, species that are covered in British Birds' annual review of scarce species (and forms of similar rarity).

Arakiya Farm, Jeryan al Batnah, Qatar 22/10/2009	Arakiya Farm, Jeryan al Batnah, Qatar 22/10/2009	undisc. site, Suffolk 03/10/2009	El Jable, Lanzarote, Canary Islands 01/10/2009	Mandria, Paphos, Cyprus 22/08/2009
Weeting Heath, Norfolk 29/08/2009	Weeting Heath, Norfolk 29/08/2009	undisc. site, Norfolk 26/07/2009	undisc. site, Norfolk 26/07/2009	undisc. site, Norfolk 26/07/2009

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Stone Curlew breeds in the following countries (Bird News Extra subscribers will see population statistics and information on trends for each country):

Albania
Armenia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Belarus
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Britain
Bulgaria
Canary Islands
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
France
Georgia
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Italy
Macedonia
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Russia
Serbia and Montenegro
Slovakia
Spain
Turkey
Ukraine

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	RSPB: Caught red-handed!	Tuesday 4th August 2009
	A camera has captured the moment a thief tried to make off with a Stone Curlew's eggs.   read on
	RSPB: Recovery of one of the UK's rarest birds hangs in the balance	Thursday 27th November 2008
	Stone Curlews have shown a remarkable recovery - but can it last?   read on
	Back from the Brink. No 11: Stone Curlew	Thursday 27th April 2006
	The eleventh of our articles charting the recovery of some of the UK's rarest breeding birds. Here we look at the Stone Curlew, a species that has declined dramatically in the last 100 years.   read on
	Stone Curlew Conservation and Salisbury Plain	Tuesday 12th August 2003
	There are not many species of bird to be found in Britain that evoke the same degree of fascination and mysticism as the Stone Curlew.

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