Numenius tenuirostris
The Slender-billed Curlew (*Numenius tenuirostris*) is an enigmatic and critically endangered shorebird, widely considered to be possibly extinct, a haunting symbol of avian loss in the 21st century. Measuring approximately 39-41 cm in length with an 80-82 cm wingspan and weighing 255-320 g, this medium-sized curlew presented a brownish-grey upper plumage, distinctly lighter than its larger relatives, with a white lower back and rump conspicuous in flight. Its most defining characteristic was...
Historically, the Slender-billed Curlew bred in wet peat bogs and marshy steppes of western Siberia and Kazakhstan. During winter, it frequented coastal lagoons, estuaries, saltmarshes, and wet grasslands across the Mediterranean basin, generally at low elevations.
The diet primarily consisted of insects, including beetle larvae and grasshoppers, unearthed from soft ground, supplemented by marine invertebrates such as crabs, worms, and mollusks in coastal areas, with occasional reports of consuming berries during migration. They were specialized ground fora...
Historically, the Slender-billed Curlew was a diurnal bird, known to gather in large communal roosts during its wintering period, sometimes associating with other curlew species but often forming distinct groups. Foraging involved methodically probing soft mud, sand, or wet soil with its long, de...
Historically, the Slender-billed Curlew bred in the vast, wet peat bogs and marshy steppes of western Siberia and northern Kazakhstan, with its breeding range extending westward into the Russian steppes. Its wintering grounds encompassed a broad sweep across the Mediterranean basin, including pro...
Critically Endangered
- The Slender-billed Curlew is considered one of the most enigmatic birds in the world, with no confirmed sightings since the mid-1990s, leading many to believe it is now extinct. - It was once a common winter visitor to the Mediterranean basin, with historical accounts describing flocks of thous...