Long-billed Sandpiper, a bird similar to the Slender-billed Sandpiper.
The slender-billed sandpiper, a migratory coastal bird that was once found in parts of Western Asia, continental Europe and North Africa, is now considered extinct.
The last confirmed sighting of this bird was in Morocco, in February 1995. After almost 30 years of unsuccessful searches, scientists concluded that this bird is no longer with us.
A study recently published in the journal IBIS used statistical analysis to determine a 99.6% probability that the slender-billed sandpiper has completely disappeared.
Despite numerous efforts to locate the species since its last sighting, researchers have found no evidence of its survival. This marks the first confirmed extinction of a bird species in continental Europe.
Although there have been cases of species considered extinct reappearing in the wild, these cases are extremely rare. The consensus among the scientific community is generally correct when declaring a species extinct, and the evidence supporting the extinction of the slender-billed sandpiper is overwhelming.
However, the official designation of “extinct” has not yet been applied by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the organization responsible for maintaining it worldwide.
Currently, the IUCN still classifies the slender-billed sandpiper as “Critically Endangered”although it is expected to review and update the bird’s status soon. When the IUCN examines the evidence and makes a decision, this bird’s extinction will become official, explains the .
The bird’s extinction is largely attributed to human activity. THE habitat loss, hunting, pollution, disease and climate change played an important role in its decline. Agricultural expansion has drained their breeding grounds, while coastal wetlands, vital to their survival, have been destroyed by pollution and urbanization. Furthermore, hunting in their wintering habitats has further reduced their numbers.
