Features: The Eskimo Curlew (Numenius borealis) is now considered to be virtually extinct. This small brown member of the Sandpiper Family was very difficult to distinguish in the field from the Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus), in spite of the Curlew's smaller size, thinner, less downcurved bill, and lack of a well-defined crown stripe. Huge flocks of these shorebirds, fattened from a summer's feeding on berries and insects in the remote north, migrated to South American wintering grounds by way of the Mississippi Valley flyway and Atlantic coast. The fat condition of the birds earned them the name "doughbirds", and, in the 1800's, market hunters took enormous numbers for sale as human food.

Status: Endangered Provincially and Nationally

Range: Little is known about the breeding distribution of the Eskimo Curlew: nesting was confirmed only in the Mackenzie District of the Northwest Territories. This long-distance migrant overwintered in Brazil and further south in the Argentinean pampas. Although the Curlew passed through Ontario on migration, there are no reports of nesting in the province. The last Ontario sighting was reported from James Bay in 1976. Range Maps

Threats: Market hunting was responsible for the decline of the Eskimo Curlew. This bird was particularly at risk from unregulated commercial hunting because of its tendency to congregate in huge flocks during migration. The loss of migrating flocks during ocean storms has been suggested as another factor in the species' decline, but the Curlew would almost certainly have rebounded from sporadic natural catastrophes had it not been for the enormous annual losses due to market hunting.

Protection: The Eskimo Curlew is protected under the federal Migratory Birds Convention Act. It is also listed under Ontario's Endangered Species Act, 2007, which protects the species and its habitat. The practice of market hunting was terminated in North America in the early 1900's. Nevertheless, this action came too late to halt the Eskimo Curlew's decline towards extinction.

Text Sources: Gollop and Shier 1978; Godfrey 1986; Bowman and McKeating 1977

Last Modified Date: October 2008