Wiltshire Wader Group​

As can be seen from the map above there are two main breeding areas for Curlew it Wiltshire, outside of these there are very few records. Historically it was noted to be common on the Marlborough Downs, however declines had been noted here even in 1887 by Smith in 'Birds of Wiltshire.

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The map to the right shows recoveries of ringed birds within the county, In the Case of the Curlew there is just one record, that of a bird which was ringing in the Lake District as a nestling and subsequently found in Wiltshire. This provides scant evidence about the movements of Curlew found in the county but it does support the general idea that some of the wintering Curlew in the south of the U.K breed in the north and then disperse.

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One of the main threats to the Curlew is climate change, as it gets warmer some of the wet grassland areas used for breeding are drying out. Also intensive agriculture has played a part. As the numbers dwindle impacts of factors like predation become more pronounced.