Recently published research shows that a migratory bird species known as the Slender-billed Curlew is now considered extinct. Wildlife conservation organizations point out that this extinction event also marks the first known case of native bird extinction in the European continent, North Africa, and Western Asia regions.
Although the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List has documented 164 bird species that have gone extinct in modern times, the disappearance of the Slender-billed Curlew has left scientists particularly shocked. This species was once widely distributed across the Eurasian continent and North Africa, highlighting the significant threat that human activities pose to species survival.
Previous studies have indicated that almost all bird extinctions have occurred on islands, with predators being the main culprits behind their demise.
Public records show that the Slender-billed Curlew is a migratory waterbird, flying to Siberia to breed during the summer and migrating to the relatively mild Mediterranean region for winter.
“This is the first known bird extinction event in the Western Palaearctic, encompassing the European continent, North Africa, and Western Asia,” said the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) in a statement. “Explorers have been diligently searching for traces of the Slender-billed Curlew in their breeding and wintering grounds for decades, all to no avail.”
While some species once thought to be extinct have been rediscovered, sometimes in entirely unexpected locations, the authors of this study concluded, after careful research, that the likelihood of the Slender-billed Curlew’s extinction is as high as 96%, with its disappearance likely occurring shortly after the last sighting in 1995.
According to the research, the most recent reliable sighting of the Slender-billed Curlew dates back to 1995 in Morocco.
Dr. Alex Bond, a senior researcher at the Natural History Museum in London, noted that efforts to save the Slender-billed Curlew only officially began in 1988, indicating that it was likely too late. “With climate change intensifying, habitat destruction, and pollution, tragic events like that of the Slender-billed Curlew may become more common,” Bond stated. “It is crucial to focus on habitat protection and pollution prevention to effectively conserve bird populations.”
The study highlighted habitat loss as a key factor leading to the extinction of this migratory species. The Siberian marshes have significantly shrunk due to agricultural development, and Mediterranean wetlands are gradually disappearing due to pollution and fragmentation. Additionally, the impacts of wars, such as in Yemen and the Mesopotamian marshes being part of the species’ wintering grounds, have devastated the ecological environments in those areas. Diseases and human hunting activities may have also hastened their demise.
Co-author of the paper and Chief Policy Officer at the RSPB, Nicola Crockford, said, “This is one of the most heart-wrenching stories in conservation in a century, revealing why organizations like the RSPB and BirdLife International strive to protect birds — ultimately to prevent species extinctions.”
“The protection of bird habitats is crucial, especially for non-breeding areas like coastal wetlands. When habitats like wetlands and grasslands are no longer secure, birds clearly cannot survive. Therefore, we need the collective efforts of governments, donors, and other stakeholders to ensure the ecological networks needed by these birds along their migration routes,” Crockford added.
Formal declaration of the Slender-billed Curlew’s extinction is still subject to IUCN review, with its current status listed as Critically Endangered.
The research paper has been recently published in the international ornithological journal IBIS, a collaborative effort by scientists from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, BirdLife International, the Dutch Centre for Biodiversity Naturalis, and the Natural History Museum in London.