Eurasian Curlew
Latin: Numenius arquata (Linné 1758)
Svenska: Storspov
Deutsch: Großer Brachvogel
Leave dad with the kids
The female Eurasian curlews don’t spend a lot of time in Uppland. They lay their eggs quickly and migrate southwards in late July. Only the male curlews incubate the young.
The Eurasian curlew is uncommon in Uppland today. It nests in bogs and agricultural land in northern Uppland, and also around Gräsö and Björn in the archipelago. A century ago, this bird was much more common, but even by 1907, Gustav Kolthoff remarked that ‘Kungsängen and other swamps in the lowlands of Uppsala have been built up and cultivated. The bird has moved away from the area.’ For a chance to hear the curlew, you should head to Kungsängen outside of Uppsala in May. You can reach it by walking along Linnaeus’ ‘Danmark’ path.
Eurasian curlews migrate from the middle of June to the beginning of September to the British Isles, France, and Spain. They return in early April.
Photo: Kent-Ove Hvass ©
Latest sightings of Eurasian curlew in Uppland
NatureGate on the Eurasian curlew