Long-billed Curlews
Triple U Buffalo Ranch : Stanley County, South Dakota
April 26, 2003

Photos by Doug Backlund

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Curlews on the nesting territory, they arrive in late March and early April.

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The curlews are feeding on burrowing wolf spiders.....

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    lots of burrowing wolf spiders....

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Why does the long-billed curlew have a long, decurved bill?

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They are burrow probers....

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Long-billed Curlews probe in holes like this one...    I dug out one side to see how deep it was...                                         

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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.

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