Hypertext Webster Gateway: "curlew"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Curlew \Cur"lew\ (k[^u]r"l[=u]), n. [F. courlieu, corlieu,
courlis; perh. of imitative origin, but cf. OF. corlieus
courier; L. currere to run + levis light.] (Zo["o]l.)
A wading bird of the genus {Numenius}, remarkable for its
long, slender, curved bill.
Note: The common European curlew is {N. arquatus}. The
long-billed ({N. longirostris}), the Hudsonian ({N.
Hudsonicus}), and the Eskimo curlew ({N. borealis}, are
American species. The name is said to imitate the note
of the European species.
{Curlew Jack} (Zo["o]l.) the whimbrel or lesser curlew.
{Curlew sandpiper} (Zo["o]l.), a sandpiper ({Tringa
ferruginea, or subarquata}), common in Europe, rare in
America, resembling a curlew in having a long, curved
bill. See Illustation in Appendix.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
curlew
n : large migratory shorebirds of the sandpiper family; closely
related to woodcocks but having a down-curved bill
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