Long-billed Curlews
Triple U Buffalo Ranch : Stanley County, South Dakota
April 26, 2003
Photos by Doug Backlund
Curlews on the nesting territory, they arrive in late March and early
April.
The curlews are feeding on burrowing wolf spiders.....
lots of burrowing wolf spiders....
Why does the Long-billed Curlew have a long, decurved bill?
They are burrow probers...
Long-billed Curlews probe in holes like this one...
I dug out one side to see how deep it was...
and found this burrowing wolf spider at the bottom, about 10 inches
down.
I've caught 3 of these spiders, they weigh from 2.3 to 3.0 grams each.
Females (on left) have a longer bill than males (on right).
This photo taken April 3, 2004.