The Slender-billed Curlew has only been confirmed breeding near Tara, north of Omsk in Siberia, between 1909-1925. It migrates west-south-west and a few reached the last known regular wintering site, Merja Zerga in Morocco, every year until 1995. Ever since records have become few, far between and less convincing. The last record accepted by a national committee is from Hungary in April 2001. The population is now thought to be lower than 50 birds. In fact in November 2024 it has been declared extinct. The recording shared by Adam Gretton is the only known sound recording of the species. He also shares a judiciously enhanced version, XC398794. Convince yourself it is the same cut!
Slender-billed Curlew Numenius tenuirostris
© Chris Gommersall/RSPB Images
What is xeno-canto?
xeno-canto is a website dedicated to sharing wildlife sounds from all over the world. Whether you are a research scientist, a birder, or simply curious about a sound that you heard out your kitchen window, we invite you to listen, download, and explore the wildlife sound recordings in the collection.
But xeno-canto is more than just a collection of recordings. It is also a collaborative project. We invite you to share your own recordings, help identify mystery recordings, or share your expertise in the forums. Welcome!
Latest News
.... the incredible Marc Anderson has dug in his archives and adds a bunch of new mammals for XC from Australia. Fantastic. Thanks for sharing Marc!
Jayrson Araujo de Oliveira has surpassed 10,000 recordings on XC, practically all from Brazil. An amazing contribution, Jayrson, parabens!
Congratulations Jayrson and thanks for all your work to make us smarter. Sue
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Cool recordings from Uganda coming in these days, courtesy of Jonathan Onongo. Thanks for sharing Jonathan!
Thanks for noticing. Special appreciation to the eBird team for providing me with training in sound recording and editing. eBird and Idea Wild also provided the audio recording equipment that has made the recordings possible. Look forward to continuing to contribute more sound recordings.
Great to hear all of that Jonathan. Keep recording!
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Albert Lastukhin keeps adding recordings from Madagascar these weeks, and adds a few new species to boot. Thanks (again) for sharing, Albert!
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