Definition:

(adjective) Describes curvature that bends down relative to its point of origin. Birds’ bills may be described as decurved when they have a distinct downward curve, either turning down immediately from the base or starting the curve further along the length of the bill. The word is appropriate only when the entire bill is curving, not when the culmen alone is shaped in a curve. The degree of curvature and where the descending curve begins are good identification clues for birds with decurved bills.


Many types of shorebirds have decurved bills, and it is also a prominent feature for some songbirds. Examples of birds with decurving bills include the yellow-billed cuckoo, dunlin, long-billed curlew, bananaquit, I’iwi, brown creeper, Bewick’s wren, Lucifer hummingbird and many ibis and thrasher species.

Photo – Australian Ibis © Lip Kee Yap

Pronunciation:

dee-KURHVD

Also Known As:

Downturned