About this species
The Curlew Sandpiper (Calidris ferruginea) is a distinctive, small wader with a slender, decurved bill and rich chestnut breeding plumage. It breeds on the Arctic tundra of Siberia and makes a remarkable long-distance migration to winter on coasts and wetlands across Africa, the Middle East, South Asia and Australasia.
The species is heavily dependent on a few key stopover areas. Loss of intertidal staging habitat in the Yellow Sea and across South Asian coasts has contributed to steep population declines. The global population is now estimated at 1.3–1.6 million individuals, with a continuing downward trend.
It was uplisted to Near Threatened by IUCN in 2017.
