BirdAnalyst
Species · BCR 11 · BBS 2025 Release · 1966–2024

Long-billed Curlew In Prairie Potholes

All regionsPrairie PotholesShorebirds

Long-billed Curlew in Prairie Potholes has surged: up 15× on the route-weighted index since 1970.

15×Since 1970
20Routes In Region
53Years

Notable Signals

long arc increasecomputed index

Long-billed Curlew has surged in Prairie Potholes: up 15× on the route-weighted index since 1970.

Forecast

If the recent trend holds, Long-billed Curlew in Prairie Potholes is projected to fall about 24% by 2029 — from 1.1 in 2024 to a central estimate of 0.82 (95% range 0.36–1.3). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±47.4%, with 20% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.

-24%Change by 2029
0.82Projected 2029 index
0.36–1.395% range
±47.4%Backtest error
19682029
Projection of the recent trend (dashed) with 80/95% bands — a projection, not a prediction. Habitat, climate, and land use are not modeled.
YearProjected index95% low95% high
20250.770.311.2
20260.780.321.2
20270.790.341.3
20280.810.351.3
20290.820.361.3

Routes In Prairie Potholes

Routes recording Long-billed Curlew in Prairie Potholes.
GildfordMONTANA172024
VirgelleMONTANA122024
RedstoneMONTANA112024
Ester LakeMONTANA92024
Great FallsMONTANA72024
GlentanaMONTANA72024
Hay LakeMONTANA62022
SunburstMONTANA42007
GlasgowMONTANA32024
OswegoMONTANA32024
SacoMONTANA32024
Sun RiverMONTANA32023
HarlemMONTANA22018
MaltaMONTANA22023
ShelbyMONTANA22024
LambertMONTANA22023
Eagle CreekNEBRASKA21971
ClevelandMONTANA12024
WhitlashMONTANA12024
ChinookMONTANA12024

Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22.