The migration route and behaviour of Eastern Curlews <i>Numenius madagascariensis</i>

Abstract

Eastern Curlews Numenius madagascariensis were satellite‐tracked onto breeding grounds in north‐eastern Russia from south‐eastern Queensland over a distance of 12 000 km. They made initial non‐stop, long distance flights across the Western Pacific Ocean towards the coastlines of China and Korea followed by shorter flights, over a period of more than a month. The return journey involved a major flight‐leg as well, south from the Yellow Sea region. Many birds attempted to migrate but returned to the non‐breeding grounds over periods of up to several months. Islands of the Western Pacific region, the southern coastline of New Guinea and north‐eastern coastline of Australia are important, particularly for birds that stop migrating. Eastern Curlews that stopped migrating generally survived, which suggests that the species has adapted to deal with adverse conditions en route and/or a physical inability to complete the migration. Such a capacity is perhaps characteristic of a large wader with low annual mortality.