A beautiful native bird, the Curlew, loves to linger around public places with their eerie, wailing calls at night easy to discern. Despite their loud shrieks, these birds can be quite meek and especially at this time of year when the local curlews are out and about and taking care of their little ones.
To protect their babies from danger the parents will put on a big, defensive feather display but often times this will not be enough to defend from your cars. Due to nesting in built-up areas it, these chicks are at risk of being runover and killed, or badly wounded by vehicles. Please keep an eye out for these little birds as they blend into the road with their feather patterns and are not as fast as their long-legged parents.
One local social media commentator, Alexandra Brewster, took to a chat site last week to raise awareness for these vulnerable feathered friends, stating it is important we share the green spaces and respect the birds, do not go near their chicks. Curlews are travelling large distances at the moment to feed their babies and this involves crossing our busy roads.
Fast Facts About Our Feathery Friends
Curlews are nocturnal, ground nesting birds.
Their call is an eerie, long wail and a common sound in the Australian bush.
Both parents share the duties of incubating the eggs and raising the chicks.
Curlews don’t build a nest, instead they choose a general nesting site and will relocate their eggs if they are disturbed.
If threatened, curlews will freeze and try to intimidate their enemies. They can also raise their wings and tail feathers out in a defensive display, and hiss to scare of predators.
Male and female curlews look the same, and juveniles are slightly paler than the adults.
Though ground nesting, these birds are great flyers with a wingspan that can reach up to 1 metre across.
The Bush Stone Curlew, the bird featured in this article, is unique and no other Australian birds resemble it.
Alexandra Brewster, Facebook.
Be careful when driving as Curlew chicks are often camouflaged with the road
Defensive display of Curlew parent protecting their chick
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