The slender-billed curlew, once a common migrant that nested in Central Asia and wintered along the shores of the Mediterranean and the Middle East, has fallen victim to its own disappearance. The last reliable observations of this species date back to the mid-1990s, and by 2024, its extinction became almost inevitable, with this reality setting in by October 2025.
The reasons for the loss of this species remain unclear. Like many other migratory birds, the curlew faced numerous detrimental factors: it was shot along migration routes, wetlands were drained, and meadows were plowed. As a result, it lost its habitats until none remained. Unfortunately, the ecology of this species was studied too late, and there was no time left for its rescue.
The extinction of the slender-billed curlew is not just a loss of a beautiful species but also the destruction of an important link in the ecosystem. These birds played a significant role in maintaining the wetland ecosystem by aerating the silt and foraging for insects and mollusks.
Ecologists note that the disappearance of the slender-billed curlew serves as a warning signal about the critical state of wetlands. Similar threats face other water-associated birds, such as the lapwing, snipe, and curlew. Over the past few decades, their numbers in the UK have nearly halved.
