Story perspectives

Slender-Billed Curlew Declared Extinct: Conservation Call to Action

10/14/2025

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Summary

Story summary

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has declared the slender-billed curlew (Numenius tenuirostris) extinct, the first recorded extinction of a migratory bird from mainland Europe, North Africa, and West Asia.
The last confirmed sighting of the curlew occurred in Morocco in 1995.
Factors driving its decline include unsustainable hunting and habitat loss.
The extinction underscores the need for coordinated conservation efforts for migratory species.

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Story summary

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has declared the slender-billed curlew (Numenius tenuirostris) extinct, the first recorded extinction of a migratory bird from mainland Europe, North Africa, and West Asia.
The last confirmed sighting of the curlew occurred in Morocco in 1995.
Factors driving its decline include unsustainable hunting and habitat loss.
The extinction underscores the need for coordinated conservation efforts for migratory species.