The Eurasian Curlew breeds in northern and central Europe and in northern Asia up to the Amur river. It is primarily an upland bird and it likes open areas with wide visibility and a mixture of wet and dry terrain.

Immediately after breeding it moves to coastal mudflats and salt marshes. While resident in parts of western Europe, it winters along the coasts of Africa and southern Asia as well as southern Europe. See the distribution map at Birdlife International.

Although it seems to be fairly common in some areas such as the Highlands of Scotland it is classified as Near Threatened by Birdlife International because of declines in certain key populations.