Leiden, 18 November 2024 – Birdwatchers had long suspected it, but now it's official: the slender-billed curlew is extinct. This waterbird, once found in Europe, West Asia, and North Africa, can now only be seen in museums.
Last seenin 1995
Researchers from the British Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), BirdLife International, the Natural History Museum in London, and Naturalis have published an article in the journal IBIS declaring the slender-billed curlew (Numenius tenuirostris) extinct. The study utilizes statistical analyses of threats to the species and a database of records, including museum specimens and field observations, to assess the likelihood of extinction. The analysis indicates a 96% probability that the bird no longer exists, having likely gone extinct around the time of the last confirmed sighting in 1995.
Holygrail
The accompanying photograph by Chris Gomersall captures a now-lost sight: a living slender-billed curlew, photographed in Morocco.
Justin Jansen, a guest researcher at Naturalis and one of the authors, recalls, "In the 1980s, this species was a holy grail for birdwatchers." Dutch birder Arnoud van den Berg discovered a wintering site in Morocco, attracting many bird enthusiasts. Even then, there was an awareness of the species' decline. A breeding program in zoos was never established; simply put, a nest was never found to facilitate such efforts.
Tragicstory
Nicola Crockford of the RSPB remarks, "This is one of the most fundamentally devastating stories to come out of nature conservation in a century. It is the first known global extinction of a bird from mainland Europe, North Africa, and West Asia. And it happened on our watch. How can we expect countries beyond Europe to step up for their species when we have failed here at home?"
Only inmuseums
Historically, slender-billed curlews were occasionally observed in the Netherlands. Several museums house specimens. One of Naturalis's specimens is currently on display at the Allard Pierson Museum in Amsterdam as part of an exhibition on nature under pressure. Another specimen will be exhibited at Naturalis during the Christmas holidays.
A speciesto learn from
The species likely disappeared shortly after the last official sighting in 1995. "Human activities played a significant role, both through hunting and habitat destruction," Jansen explains. The consequences for the rest of nature are unclear: "We still lack a comprehensive understanding of the puzzle pieces. For other threatened species, it's important to draw a line under this one: as long as a species is critically endangered, there is an obligation to make efforts. Costly expeditions to find this species are no longer necessary."
Jansen adds, "Instead, we can focus on the species that still exist. This species serves as a lesson: 'Folks, pay attention! In a few years, we might fill many more display cases with extinct bird species.' But preventing extinction is beyond the power of birdwatchers and museums. It's the politicians that must take action."
More informationnot for publication
This is a joint press release from RSPB, BirdLife International (UK), Naturalis Biodiversity Center, and the Natural History Museum.
- Illustration can be found in this press folder.
- Images of living thin-beaked curlews can be found in this one YouTube video, sound recordings are here on Xeno-Canto.
- For general questions, you can contact the Naturalis Communication department: communicatie@naturalis.nl of 06 - 35 11 29 99.