Curlew

Lore & Background

Brisson is considered the authority because his work falls within the accepted starting point of zoological nomenclature. The name Numenius comes from Ancient Greek noumenios, a bird mentioned by Hesychius, associated with curlews due to its derivation from neos ('new') and mene ('moon'), referring to the crescent-shaped bill. Curlews feed on mud or very soft ground, searching for worms and other invertebrates with their long bills, and also take crabs. Their distribution has altered considerably in the past hundred years due to changing agricultural practices: Eurasian curlew populations have suffered from draining of marshes, while long-billed curlews have increased in breeding densities around livestock-grazed areas. As of 2019, only a small number of Eurasian curlews still bred in Ireland, raising extinction concerns. The stone-curlews are not true curlews but members of the family Burhinidae, only distantly related.

Reader's Guide

Curlews hold significance as an ancient lineage of waders, with a worldwide distribution and strong migratory habits that make them familiar across Europe, Africa, Asia, the Americas, and Australasia. Their long, downcurved bills and mottled brown plumage are distinctive, and the name itself echoes the bird's call. The birds' feeding ecology—probing mud for invertebrates—ties them to wetland and grassland habitats, which have been altered by modern agriculture. The decline of the Eurasian curlew in Ireland highlights conservation challenges, while the long-billed curlew's adaptation to livestock areas shows varied responses. Fossils, including a Late Pleistocene specimen from Mexico and the Late Eocene Limosa gypsorum possibly belonging to Numenius, suggest a deep evolutionary history. The upland sandpiper is the closest relative, distinguished by yellow legs, a long tail, and a shorter, less curved bill. In the UK, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds has a five-year plan to restore curlew numbers, underscoring ongoing conservation efforts.

Did You Know?

• The name Numenius is derived from Ancient Greek noumenios, associated with 'new moon' due to the crescent-shaped bill.
• The Late Eocene fossil Limosa gypsorum, originally placed in Numenius, is now placed in Limosa.

Geography & Official Designation

Situated along the southern edge of Cuttack district in the Indian state of Odisha, the Chandaka Elephant Sanctuary occupies a stretch of the Khurdha uplands that belong to the Eastern Ghats biotic region. The terrain is defined by its broad, open, low-elevation profile rather than dramatic peaks, a character typical of the Eastern Ghats' southern extensions. As a wildlife reserve, Chandaka sits at the intersection of human settlement and natural forest, its boundaries shaped by the need to shield a functioning ecosystem while remaining adjacent to the populated districts of Cuttack and Khurdha. The early-1980s designation marked a meaningful step in Odisha's conservation history, carving out a protected corridor within the Eastern Ghats where elephant herds and their associated fauna could continue to persist.

Flora & Vegetation

The sanctuary's plant life is organized into six distinct vegetation types, each reflecting different moisture levels and soil conditions across the rolling landscape. These range from secondary moist miscellaneous semi-evergreen forests and moist Xylia xylocarpa stands to coastal Sal (Shorea robusta) forests, thorny bamboo (Bambusa bambos) brakes, and areas of planted teak intermixed with Eupatorium scrub. The canopy is dominated by a rich assemblage of hardwoods including Strychnos nux-vomica, kalicha, belo, kangada, Pterospermum xylocarpum, sunari, kumbhi, jamu, karanja, teak, and sidha. Male bamboo (Dendrocalamus strictus) holds a notably restricted range within the reserve, making its presence a localized feature rather than a widespread one. Beneath the trees, the understory and ground layer harbor a remarkable array of medicinal plants—Mucuna pruriens, brudhadaraka, bhuinlimbo, guduchi lata, shalparni (Desmodium gangeticum), satabari, bhuin-kakharu, indrajaba, thalkudi, apamaranga, kurchi, and patalgaruda—many long valued in traditional Indian medicine. In the dampest, shadiest pockets and along rock escarpments, small populations of ground orchids, ferns, club mosses, bryophytes, and lichens add further layers of botanical complexity to the forest floor.

Fauna & Wildlife

The Indian elephant serves as the sanctuary's flagship species and a key indicator of habitat productivity, while the leopard sits at the apex of the biological pyramid. The mammalian community extends well beyond these two figures: chital, barking deer, mouse deer, wild boar, gray langur, rhesus monkey, small Indian civet, Indian and ruddy mongoose, pangolin, sloth bear, honey badger, Indian wolf, and hyena all populate the forest. Chital are the most frequently sighted ungulates, typically encountered in groups of three to seven along forest roads, grassy openings, waterbody shores, and even near guard camps. Wild dogs make only occasional appearances. A remarkable recent finding came in the winter of 2012, when researchers documented footprints of a tigress and her cub—the first evidence of tigers in the area in roughly forty years. The avian community is equally diverse, with Indian peafowl, red junglefowl, crested serpent eagle, great horned owl, Black-hooded oriole, paradise flycatcher, coucal, and stone curlew among prominent residents. Reptiles include the Asiatic rock python, Bengal monitor lizard, Russell's viper, bamboo pit viper, common krait, Indian bronze back, Indian flap shell turtle, and mugger crocodiles that have adapted to larger water bodies after their release.

Seasonal Dynamics & Biodiversity Census

The Kumarkhunti reservoir plays a pivotal seasonal role in the sanctuary's ecology, shifting its character dramatically between months. During the winter, it becomes a transient roosting and feeding ground for a host of migratory duck species, including garganey, common teal, Eaton's pintail, Indian spot-billed duck, Brahminy duck, and white-eyed Baer's pochard. By July, the same water body transforms into a gathering place for open-billed storks, pond herons, egrets, and cormorants, while resident species such as lesser whistling teal, little grebe, cotton teal, nakta, lesser cormorant, bronze-winged jacana, white-breasted waterhen, various kingfishers, and red-wattled lapwings maintain a year-round presence around the water. Butterfly populations surge during the monsoon and post-monsoon months, adding a vivid pulse of invertebrate activity to the forest.