The Bristle-thighed Curlew has a long, down-curved bill and a conspicuous head stripe. It breeds in western Alaska and migrates long distances to Pacific islands.
It has a long, down-curved bill and a conspicuous stripe on its head.
After breeding, many birds gather on the Yukon Delta and feed on berries, insects, and other foods. They then make a long ocean flight to wintering grounds in the Hawaiian Islands and elsewhere in the South Pacific.
Both sexes build a ground nest among low tundra plants, lined with old leaves, moss, lichens and twigs, and incubate 3–4 eggs for 22–26 days. Open-eyed, downy chicks leave within 12 hours of the last egg hatching.
Both parents care actively for chicks for 3–4 weeks. After many parents depart, chicks form flocks attended by a few adults. On nonbreeding grounds the birds temporarily lose flight while replacing most flight feathers together.
On nonbreeding grounds it throws crabs or snails against rocks to break their shells. Some birds throw small coral pieces against abandoned seabird eggs to open them.
The rump is plain cinnamon, the underwing orange-buff with brown bars and the legs blue-grey. Juveniles have larger buff back spots and finer breast streaking.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.