There are different types of curlews. In the United States, we have long-billed curlews that may also be called sandpipers. In Australia, where this curlew rescue took place, they have the bush stone curlew. These birds are roughly the same size, with a smaller beak, than our sandpipers.
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Imagine the shock of walking into your yard and finding a juvenile bird floating in your pool. An adult bird was on the deck, panicked and spreading its wings to frighten the man away. The man shooed it away to grab the net. He carefully scooped the little bird out, positioning the net on the deck so the bird could walk away. The curlew rescue complete, the parent bird eagerly led the fledling away toward the back corner of the deck.
Although the bush stone curlew was once common, it is currently on the list as a vulnerable species. The birds stand 20 to 24 inches tall and are identifiable by their gangly legs with thick knees. Their coloring blends well in the bushland, providing natural camoflage. As a ground-dwelling bird, they live almost everywhere on the Australian continent. They are nocturnal, so they are more active at night.
Bush stone curlews are carnivorous. Their usual diet is insects, small lizards, molluscs, and small mammals. When they are breeding, the birds will remain near their nests. However, during non-breeding seasons, the birds may travel great distances for a meal. This was likely the only surviving hatchling this year because bush stone curlews only lay one to three eggs.
Australia is home to many types of birds, large and small, a wide variety of wildlife, and the largest cache of poisonous critters in the animal kingdom.
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