Far Eastern Curlews Research in Southern Sydney

Each summer Far Eastern Curlews and Bar-tailed Godwits arrive in Australia after making heroic journeys of more than 10,000 km from northern China and Russia where they breed. When they arrive back in September, they’re exhausted. They rest, refuel on our rich feeding grounds, and depart again around April. Sadly, this delicate balance is under threat. In just ten years, human activity has caused Curlew numbers to plummet. They are now critically endangered and facing extinction.

BirdLife Southern NSW is excited to be working on a 2-year Far Eastern Curlew research project in the Port Hacking area of Southern Sydney. Key activities of the project include spatial mapping to determine the Curlew’s distribution throughout the area; identifying the impact of human-induced disturbance factors; identifying major prey items through eDNA testing; and hopefully, banding and satellite tracking of a few of the birds. The initial findings were presented at the Australasian Shorebird Conference in Newcastle, September 2026.
Interim results include:

• achieving a quantitative map of Far Eastern Curlew distribution across the area and analysis of disturbance data
• an initial assessment of Far Eastern Curlew diet and prey distribution using eDNA

The next stages include:

• continue eDNA work to build up scientifically robust dataset
• bird banding and installation of trackers by certified banders
• publish findings in a peer reviewed journal