Eskimo Curlew - Ross Feldner

Also known as the Northern Curlew, this bird was once one of the most numerous shorebirds in the tundra of western Alaska and Arctic Canada with populations in the millions.

During the late 1800s thousands were killed every year and by the end of the century it’s estimated that over 2 million had been killed. Market hunters killed them because they were considered a delicacy and were easy to hunt because of their gregarious nature and lack of fear. At the same time their habitat of grasslands was being converted to farmland.

There has not been a reliable sighting since 1981 or a confirmed sighting since 1963.

Eskimo Curlews ate mostly berries while on the fall migration in Canada. During the rest of their migration and on the breeding grounds, they ate insects.

The generic name has three possible etymologies. One is that it comes from the Greek "noumenios". "Noumenios" means "of the new moon," the thin beak of this curlew being compared to a thin crescent moon.

When Columbus reached the New World at the end of the 15th century, the Eskimo Curlew was among the most common shorebirds. It was thought that Columbus knew he was nearing land in the Western Atlantic when he spied these small curlews heading south.

The current population of Eskimo Curlews is estimated to be fewer than 50.