Eskimo curlew
| Eskimo curlew | ||||||||
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Eskimo curlew, illustration by John James Audubon |
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| Systematics | ||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||
| Numenius borealis | ||||||||
| ( Forster , 1772) |
The Eskimo curlew ( Numenius borealis ) is an extremely rare or already extinct medium-sized wader of the New World .
description
A fully grown Eskimo curlew reaches a length of 29 to 34 centimeters. It has dark gray legs and a long, slightly curved beak. The top is speckled brown and the bottom is light brown. In flight image cinnamon-brown wing stripes are visible. It looks very similar to the Whimbrel ( Numenius phaeopus hudsonicus ), but is smaller. In the field observation, the only sure way to distinguish the Eskimo curlew from other species, the unbanded underside can be seen (Townsend 1933).
The Eskimo curlew is closely related to the Asian curlew ( Numenius minutus ), but is slightly larger, has longer wings, shorter legs and is warmer in its poultry color than its Asian relative.
Distribution, habitat and way of life
The Eskimo curlew hatched on the tundra of western Arctic Canada and Alaska . The nests were built on the ground in open terrain and were difficult to find. Eskimo curlews migrated several thousand kilometers to Chile and Argentina in autumn . Even in western Europe they are said to have been sighted as rare guests in earlier times.
Food was consumed by sight and by tracking with the beak. The main food of the Eskimo curlew consisted of berries and insects, but snails were also consumed on the migrations.
A comparison of all known data and migration patterns suggests that the Eskimo curlew and the little golden plover ( Pluvialis dominica ) are the most likely waders that caught Christopher Columbus' attention on his first voyage after 65 days at sea.
In the 19th century, millions of Eskimo curlews followed the migration routes from the Yukon Territory and Northwest Territories , east along the northern coast of Canada, and then south across the Atlantic Ocean to winter quarters in South America. On their return to North America, they flew north over the Great Plains . (Kaufman, 1996)
die out
.JPG)
The Eskimo curlew was once one of the most numerous wading birds in North America. The stock is said to have run into the millions. The meadows where the Eskimo curlew used to find their food have been converted into arable land. Since the Eskimo curlew was not afraid of humans, it invaded the fields and was declared a pest. Over two million birds were killed annually in the second half of the 19th century.
Its nest was last found in 1865. The last confirmed photo evidence was in 1962 on Galveston Island , Texas and in 1963 on Barbados . In 1981 there was an unconfirmed sighting of 23 specimens in Texas and more recent unconfirmed reports are from Texas, Canada (1987) and Argentina (1990). The last confirmed evidence from Argentina is from 1939.
One of the most important sources of food was the rock insect ( Melanoplus spretus ). The extinction of this species around 1902 could have been part of the reason for the decline of the Eskimo curlew. The destruction of the habitat in the wintering areas in the pampas also prevented populations from recovering.
This species enjoys full legal protection in Argentina , Canada , the United States, and Mexico . Hunting was made a criminal offense in 1916.
The Eskimo curlew in popular culture
- In 1954 the Eskimo curlew was the main character in the novel "The Last of the Curlews" by the Canadian author Fred Bodsworth . In 1973 Hanna-Barbera filmed this book as a cartoon and won the Emmy in the category "Best Children's Program".
- The Esquimaux Curlew (sic) is a well-known drawing by the American ornithologist and bird artist John James Audubon , which appeared on plate 357 in his work Birds of America .
- In the 1950s, the Eskimo curlew was narrated in the Mark Trail series of characters ... described by comic book writers Ed Dodd and Tom Hill .
Literature and individual references
- J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, A. and J. Sargatal (eds.): Handbook of Birds of the World, Volume 3: Hoatzin to auks . Lynx Edicions, Barcelona 1996, ISBN 84-87334-22-9
- Know Kaufman: Lives of North American Birds. 1996, ISBN 0-395-77017-3
- National Geographic Society: Field Guide to the Birds of North America . National Geographic, Washington DC. 2002, ISBN 0-7922-6877-6
- Charles W. Townsend: Sight Records of the Eskimo Curlew. The Auk 50 (2). 1933, 214. PDF file (68 kB]
Web links
- Numenius borealis in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2008. Posted by: BirdLife International , 2008. Accessed on December 22 of 2008.
- USGS Eskimo Curlew website
- "Where Have All the Curlews Gone?" by Paul Johnsgard
- Photographs from 1962 in Texas
- Birds of America Online - Esquimaux Curlew