What they like

Quiet. Wet grasslands, muddy margins, peat and open polders with long sightlines. On migration it also likes large, calm pools and salt marshes. Help it: leave a corner of land wet, create a shallow pond, don’t keep ditch edges neatly trimmed, and allow rough grass and muddy banks. In parks or gardens: keep noise down around water, no unleashed dogs along the banks.

Ecological importance

A true ground-prober. It mainly eats earthworms, insect larvae, snails and small crustaceans. So: healthy, moist soil = curlew food. Mowing too early or draining everything removes the buffet. Chicks and eggs are vulnerable to crows and foxes; cover and good sightlines help: not everywhere short, not everywhere tall.

When in the Netherlands

Mostly a passage migrant: July–Nov and March–May. Small numbers overwinter, mainly on the coast and in the river area.

Status

Does not breed in the Netherlands. A passage migrant under pressure; every quiet, wet spot counts.