The curlew is a winter visitor to wetlands throughout Ireland, sometimes also breeding here in small numbers. The main identifying characteristics of the curlew are the long, slender, downward curving bill and the mottled brown plumage. It is a wading bird and feeds in mud or very soft ground, searching for worms and other invertebrates. Drainage of wetland has caused serious problems for the curlew due to habitat loss.

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It is red-listed in Ireland due to its small and declining breeding population.

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Image (c) by Andreas Trepte used under Creative Commons License BY-SA 2.5.