Scientists have published an objective analysis confirming the extinction of the Slender-billed Curlew, a migratory shorebird that once bred in western Siberia and wintered around the Mediterranean. The bird was last unequivocally observed in northern Morocco in 1995, marking it as the first recorded global bird extinction from mainland Europe, North Africa, and West Asia.
According to the IUCN Red List, 164 bird species have been declared extinct since 1500, out of more than 11,000 species assessed for conservation status by BirdLife International, the global Red List Authority for birds. This publication was a collaborative effort involving the RSPB, BirdLife International, Naturalis Biodiversity Center, and the Natural History Museum.
Nicola Crockford, Principal Policy Officer for the RSPB, described the extinction of the Slender-billed Curlew as “one of the most fundamentally devastating stories to come out of nature conservation in a century.” She emphasized the critical mission of the RSPB and the BirdLife Partnership: preventing species extinctions. Crockford highlighted the gravity of this loss, noting that it marks the first recorded global extinction of a bird from mainland Europe, North Africa, and West Asia. “This has happened in our lifetimes,” she said. “How can we expect countries beyond Europe to step up for their species when our comparatively wealthy countries have failed?”
The Slender-billed Curlew also occurred in Croatia, and the recently renovated Natural History Museum in Zagreb holds a specimen. This loss is compounded by recent news that 16 other migratory shorebird species have been uplisted to higher threat categories on the IUCN Red List due to population declines.
The exact causes of the Slender-billed Curlew’s decline remain uncertain. However, likely pressures included the extensive drainage of its raised bog breeding grounds for agriculture, the loss of coastal wetlands vital for winter feeding, and hunting, particularly as the population became increasingly fragmented and reduced. Other potential threats, such as pollution, disease, predation, and climate change, may have played a role, but their impact remains unclear.
Dr. Alex Bond, Senior Curator in Charge of Birds at the Natural History Museum, has been part of the effort to trace the curlew’s fate. Reflecting on the bird’s disappearance, he noted, “When the Slender-billed Curlew stopped returning to their main wintering site at Merja Zerga, Morocco, extensive efforts were made to locate their breeding grounds. Despite multiple expeditions covering hundreds of thousands of square kilometers, the search yielded nothing.”
Dr. Bond warned that this extinction reflects broader trends in the face of climate change. “As climate change continues, this is going to be the status quo. Things are not getting better for birds. Tackling climate change, habitat destruction, and pollution is the best chance we’ve got at protecting them, at home and abroad,” he said.
