Numenius (bird)
| Curlew | |
|---|---|
 |
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Long-billed curlew (Numenius americanus) Fishing Pier, Goose Island State Park, Texas |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Charadriiformes |
| Family: | Scolopacidae |
| Genus: |
Numenius Brisson, 1760 |
| Species | |
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N. phaeopus |
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| Synonyms | |
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Palnumenius Miller, 1942 |
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N. phaeopus
N. tenuirostris
N. arquata
N. americanus
N. madagascariensis
N. minutus
N. borealis
N. tahitiensis
Palnumenius Miller, 1942
The curlews /ˈkɜːrljuːz/, genus Numenius, are a group of eight species of birds, characterised by long, slender, downcurved bills and mottled brown plumage. The English name is imitative of the Eurasian curlew's call, but may have been influenced by the Old French corliu, "messenger", from courir , "to run". It was first recorded in 1377 in Langland's Piers Plowman "Fissch to lyue in þe flode..Þe corlue by kynde of þe eyre". The genus name Numenius is from Ancient Greek noumenios, a bird mentioned by Hesychius. It is associated with the curlews because it appears to be derived from neos, "new" and mene "moon", referring to the crescent-shaped bill In Europe "curlew" usually refers to one species, the Eurasian curlew Numenius arquata.
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