Bird
Slender-billed Curlew
Numenius tenuirostrisSlender-billed curlews were elegant migratory shorebirds distinguished by their delicately decurved bills and bold, droplet-shaped flank spots. They bred quietly across wet steppe meadows and boggy marshlands in Central Asia before undertaking long-distance migrations to winter in shallow Mediterranean lagoons. Unregulated market hunting and severe agricultural drainage across their transit corridors led to a rapid population crash, culminating in the species being declared extinct.
ShorebirdMigratory
—observations
—countries
—peak records
ExtinctConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXExtinctRed List categories, explained →
Diet & preyEarthworms, Bivalves, Insect Larvae
Predators
- Peregrine Falcon
- Marsh Harrier
- Red Fox
ThreatsHistorical market hunting along migration routes and wetland drainage
HabitatsSteppe wetlands, peat bogs, tidal mudflats, and brackish coastal lagoons
Life span10–20 years
Classification
- OrderCharadriiformes
- FamilyScolopacidae
- GenusNumenius
- SpeciesNumenius tenuirostris
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Safe to observe at a normal distance.
Responsible observation
- Museum study: Examine historical study skins and archival photographs to learn distinctive flank markings.
- Identification caution: Screen any potential curlew observation thoroughly against juvenile whimbrels.
Same Genus (c) Tim, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Tim · cc-by
Close Relative (c) Joanne Goldby, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · cc-by-sa
Close Relative Andreas Trepte / CC BY-SA 2.5 · cc-by-sa
Close Relative (c) Jim, the Photographer, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by
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