Long-billed Curlew

How to find it

Start on the Gulf of Nicoya, where the few curlews of each winter mix with many Whimbrels and Marbled Godwits. A spotting scope is a useful tool, since a sleeping curlew was found far out among Whimbrels only by careful scoping. Check every large curlew for the taller stance and the longer bill. At low tide, scanning the Gulf from the beach near Chomes can turn up birds that have left the ponds, though they are more scattered and farther away. A field guide to Costa Rica warns that a rare Long-billed Curlew is easy to overlook among Whimbrels, especially when it is sleeping.

How to recognise it

Adults measure about 50 to 65 cm long, which makes this a large shorebird. The bill is the headline feature: very long and curved. Females have a longer bill than males, with a more marked curve at the tip.

In Costa Rica, one birder separated a curlew from a godwit by three marks: tawny colour, an orange belly and a large pale eye ring. The same bird was clearly bigger than the Whimbrels around it.

Standing noticeably taller than a Whimbrel is one of the best clues when you scan a mixed flock.

What it sounds like

Recording: Jennifer Rycenga, CC BY 4.0, source, read 4 Nov 2026.

Behaviour and diet

The curlew probes mud and soft ground with its long bill for worms and other invertebrates. Inland it eats mostly insects and worms.

Curlews and godwits have been called the macaws of the sandpiper family: big, long-legged, loud-calling birds that stand out on the Gulf of Nicoya flats. In Costa Rica one was found asleep far out in salt ponds among Whimbrels, and another was resting on a mud flat with Marbled Godwits.

Where it lives

In winter and on migration the species uses coastal habitats such as salt marshes, tidal flats and estuaries. It also uses wet pastures and sandy beaches.

In Costa Rica small groups have been recorded in the Gulf of Nicoya and along the Golfo Dulce coast between Puerto Jiménez and Pavones. A records review also noted two curlews inland in the Central Valley (Valle del Sol, San José) on 2 October 2007. Breeding takes place far away, in the grasslands of western North America.

When to see it

Birders describe these curlews as winter birds in the Gulf of Nicoya. One was also found there in September, resting on a mud flat.

Similar birds

The only other bird with a similarly long bill is the Whimbrel, but its bill is much shorter and it stands noticeably less tall. Against a Marbled Godwit, look for the curlew's tawny colour, orange belly and large pale eye ring.

Names and lore in Costa Rica

Costa Rican name lists give Zarapito Piquilargo, with Zarapito Americano as an alternative. Playero pico largo is also listed, noted for Honduras. Do not confuse these with the Whimbrel's local names, Cherelá and Zarceta.

Status and conservation

The official Costa Rican list marks it as M, a migrant, and globally the IUCN lists it as Least Concern.

Photography tips

A spotting scope is the key tool, because birds can be far out on the flats or asleep among Whimbrels. At low tide, scan from the beach near Chomes for birds that have left the ponds. They will be more scattered and farther away, so patience pays.