A special greeting card to raise awareness of the plight of the Curlew, which not only includes the evocative noise of this endangered wetland bird, but also a special written message from His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales.
Curlews are the UK’s largest wading bird, about the size of a herring gull on long legs. They are predominantly brown, but closer inspection reveals an intricate patterning of brown, cream and grey that shifts in hue with the sun. In the winter you’ll see many around our coasts and estuaries, the numbers boosted by winter visitors from Finland and Scandinavia. Come the Spring however, most of these return home to breed and our own birds head for the meadows and hills to nest.
Their scientific name is Numenius arquata. Numenius means new moon and arquata means bow-like - they refer to the shape of the bill. The female’s bill is longer than the male’s allowing them to feed on different creatures buried in mud and soft sediment. They are sensitive and open independently at the end, which looks quite odd - but this allows them to feel for hidden worms, crustaceans and snails. (Words from Curlew Moon, by Mary Colwell)
The Curlew is at risk of extinction in some areas, so act now and get involved.
Text on the reverse of the card kindly supplied by Mary Collwell author of Curlew Moon. Photograph by wildlife photographer David Kjaer.
A proportion of the profits from sales of this card will go to help projects involved in trying to protect this bird, which is on the brink of extinction.
