The Hellenic Ornithological Society announced the extinction of the slender-billed curlew, a migratory bird that once relied on northern Greece’s wetlands during its annual journey between Europe and Africa.
According to ekathimerini.com, the species was first recorded in Greece in 1857 on the island of Corfu.
Over the years, there were 104 documented sightings, primarily in the Evros and Axios deltas and Porto Lagos.
“A slender-billed curlew observed in Messolongi on May 3, 1999 (by J.Y. Guillosson) marks the last recorded sighting of the species in Greece,” the society reported.
This marks a significant loss, as the slender-billed curlew is the first globally recognised bird species to go extinct across mainland Europe, North Africa, and West Asia, according to BirdLife International.
Source: ekathimerini.com
