a curlew
curlew 是可数名词，单数前可用冠词 a。
A curlew was feeding at the water's edge.
一只杓鹬在水边觅食。
杓鹬；麻鹬
杓鹬属候鸟
a large migratory shorebird of the sandpiper family, related to woodcocks, with a long down-curved bill
Any of several migratory wading birds in the genus Numenius, remarkable for their long, slender, downcurved bills.
We heard a curlew calling near the marsh at dawn.
黎明时我们听到一只杓鹬在沼泽附近鸣叫。
用法提示：句中 curlew 是名词单数，指杓鹬这种候鸟。
Curlews use their long curved bills to search for food in the mud.
杓鹬用它们细长弯曲的喙在泥里寻找食物。
用法提示：句中 curlews 是名词复数形式，表示多只杓鹬。
The birdwatcher pointed at a curlew standing by the water's edge.
观鸟者指着站在水边的一只杓鹬。
用法提示：句中 curlew 是名词单数，作 point at 的宾语，指麻鹬。
curlew 是可数名词，单数前可用冠词 a。
A curlew was feeding at the water's edge.
一只杓鹬在水边觅食。
复数形式为直接在词尾加 -s。
Curlews are migratory shorebirds with long, down-curved bills.
杓鹬是长着长而下弯喙的迁徙性滨鸟。
grammar · medium
易错句子There are many curlew in the wetland.
正确表达There are many curlews in the wetland.
curlew 是可数名词，复数形式是 curlews；many 后必须接复数名词，不能保留单数形式。
grammar · medium
易错句子I saw curlew flying overhead.
正确表达I saw a curlew flying overhead.
curlew 是单数可数名词，单独作宾语时前面需要不定冠词 a 或 an，不能用零冠词直接使用。
与杓鹬同属鹬科候鸟，但godwit的喙通常略上弯或较直，而curlew的喙明显下弯；中文都带“鹬”字容易混淆。
curlew和woodcock都有“鹬”的译名且亲缘较近，但woodcock是林鸟、喙短而直，curlew是海岸候鸟、喙长而下弯，栖息环境和外形都不同。
sandpiper是鹬科鸟类的通称，多指小型涉禽；curlew特指杓鹬属的大型长弯喙鸟类。看到“鹬”字时要判断是泛称还是专指某一种。
白腰杓鹬
The Eurasian curlew is one of the largest shorebirds in Europe.
白腰杓鹬是欧洲最大的滨鸟之一。
杓鹬的鸣声
We heard the curlew call before we saw the bird.
我们在看到那只鸟之前先听到了杓鹬的鸣声。
一群杓鹬
A flock of curlews flew over the estuary at dusk.
黄昏时，一群杓鹬飞过河口。
杓鹬的筑巢地
The moorland provides important curlew nesting grounds.
这片荒原为杓鹬提供了重要的筑巢地。
杓鹬种群
The curlew population has declined sharply in recent decades.
近几十年来，杓鹬种群数量急剧下降。
杓鹬迁徙
Curlew migration can cover thousands of miles between breeding and wintering areas.
杓鹬迁徙可以跨越数千英里，往返于繁殖地和越冬地之间。
杓鹬属于鹬科，是该科下的大型滨鸟。
杓鹬常在河口地区栖息觅食。
泥滩是杓鹬等滨鸟重要的觅食场所。
杓鹬是候鸟，会进行季节性迁徙。
杓鹬的标志性特征是向下弯曲的长喙。
杓鹬在啼叫，溺水者在呼喊。
From The Cure's 1981 gothic rock song 'The Drowning Man' (on the album 'Faith'), where the curlew's cry evokes isolation and the presence of death.
出自 The Cure 1981 年的哥特摇滚歌曲《The Drowning Man》（专辑《Faith》），杓鹬的啼叫烘托出孤独与死亡的氛围。
Dictionary facts from ECDICT, WIKTIONARY.