New publication indicates devastating extinction of the Slender-Billed Curlew - Birdlife International

Slender-billed Curlew, a migratory shorebird that once bred in western Siberia and wintered around the Mediterranean is now extinct according to scientists. This is the first known global bird extinction from mainland Europe, North Africa and West Asia.

Scientists have today (Monday 18 November) published an objective analysis that indicates the extinction of the Slender-billed Curlew, a migratory shorebird that once bred in western Siberia and wintered around the Mediterranean. It was last unequivocally seen in north Morocco in 1995. This is the first known global bird extinction from mainland Europe, North Africa and West Asia. The IUCN Red List currently recognises 164 bird to have become extinct since 1500, from more than 11,000 species that have had their conservation status assessed by BirdLife International, the global Red List Authority for birds.

The publication was a collaboration between the RSPB, BirdLife International, Naturalis Biodiversity Center and the Natural History Museum.

Nicola Crockford, Principal Policy Officer for the RSPB said: “This is one of the most fundamentally devastating stories to come out of nature conservation in a century and gets to the very heart of why the RSPB and BirdLife Partnership are doing what we do; that is, ultimately, to prevent extinction of species. This is the first known global extinction of a bird from mainland Europe, North Africa and West Asia. This has happened in our lifetimes. How can we expect countries beyond Europe to step up for their species when our comparatively wealthy countries have failed?”