Numenius madagascariensis; Print; The Far Eastern curlew (Numenius madagascariensis) is a large shorebird most similar in appearance to the long-billed curlew; but slightly larger. It is mostly brown in color; differentiated from other curlews by its plain; unpatterned brown underwing. It is not only the largest curlew but probably the world's largest sandpiper; at 60-66 cm (24-26 in) in length and 110 cm (43 in) across the wings. The body is reportedly 565-1; 150 g (1.246-2.535 lb); which may be equaled by the Eurasian curlew. The extremely long bill; at 12.8-20.1 cm (5.0-7.9 in) in length; rivals the bill size of the closely related long-billed curlew as the longest bill for a sandpiper.; 1700-1880