A large shorebird of open country, recognised by its impressive size, brown tones, and long, down-curved bill, which is noticeably shorter in juveniles. In flight it shows a white patch across the back and largely white underwings. Its familiar call is a drawn-out, bubbling “coor-lee.” It can be told from the smaller Whimbrel by the absence of head stripes and by its deeper call, and from Far Eastern Curlew by lacking a buff-toned rump and heavily marked underwings. It breeds mostly in grassland habitats, from coastal marsh to upland moor, and winters mainly along coasts, particularly on mudflats and nearby marshes.