Species described in 1772 by Johann Reinhold Forster in England as Scolopax borealis based on a specimen received in 1771, which was obtained by Andrew Graham. The type locality was Fort Albany, Ontario, Canada, 650 km southeast of the Severn River, where Graham worked. Humphrey Marten was the one who sent the specimen to Forster along with notes of characteristic information about the species. At that time, the Eskimo Curlew was apparently one of the most abundant shorebirds in North America, but only 100 years later, the population was heading towards extinction (Melling, 2010).

It nested in the tundra of northwest Canada in two areas: near the base of Bathurst Peninsula and near Point Lake, 750 km southeast. In the boreal winter, they migrated from North America to the grasslands of the pampas in Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Brazil, and Chile, possibly in a non-stop oceanic flight, although some made intermediate stops when storms occurred. Their route was along the Atlantic Ocean, while returning to their breeding area they did so inland (Gollop, 1988; Gollop et al., 1986 in Melling, 2010). Some specimens were found in Chile in Arica, Chiloé, and Iquique (Jaramillo, 2005). In Brazil, it was a common visitor inland, with mentions in the Amazon, Mato Grosso, and São Paulo from September to November (Sick, 1977). As a long-distance migrating species, some individuals were even found in Great Britain (Melling, 2010).

The main reason for its extinction was hunting in North America, in Massachusetts alone in 1863, an estimated 7,000 to 8,000 Eskimo Curlews and Pampa Plovers (Pluvialis dominica) were killed on Nantucket Island, while in 1872 only two hunters supposedly shot 5,000 Eskimo Curlews (Gollop, 1988; Melling, 2010). In Argentina, the reason could be attributed to the transformation and settlement of the pampas, its wintering area, and to a lesser extent to hunting (Chebez, 1999).

There are many citations mentioning the species for places without any detailed mention, below are specific observations that have been formally published:

In 1877 Durnford observed large flocks in the Chupat valley, Chubut, Argentina flying south, and obtained 2 specimens (Chebez, 1999).

In 1878 Lynch Arribalzaga mentions it under the name of Tryngites brevirostris in Baradero, Buenos Aires, Argentina (Chebez, 1999).

On September 9, 1880 Barrows observed the arrival of large flocks of Eskimo Curlews in Concepción del Uruguay, Entre Ríos, Argentina, which stayed until mid-October (Barrows, 1884 in Chebez, 1999).

In 1882 Barrows observed specimens almost daily in company with Batitú (Bartramia longicauda) and Pampa Plovers between Azul and Bahía Blanca in February, disappearing by early March (Barrows, 1884 in Chebez, 1999).

On February 13, 1889 Gibson, who occasionally saw them in eastern Buenos Aires, saw 20 or 30 specimens for the last time in Ajó, among Pampa Plovers near the Linconia Estate, General Lavalle District, Buenos Aires, Argentina, where they stayed until February 20 (Chebez, 1999).

The last sighting in Chile was in Iquique, Tarapacá in 1913 (Jaramillo, 2005).

On February 7, 1924 J. B. Daguerre observed 5 or 6 specimens in Rosas, Buenos Aires, Argentina, captured one of them, and sent it to the national museum. He comments that even in those years this shorebird was rare in those fields (Daguerre, 1924).

On January 11, 1926 J. B. Daguerre obtained another specimen in Rosas, Buenos Aires, Argentina (Dabbene, 1926).

On February 16, 1937 Ernest Ronald Runnacles observed 2, or possibly 3 specimens in a plain near the city of General Lavalle, Buenos Aires, Argentina. The birds were quite wild and were observed for some time from a car. One had been seen in the same region around a month earlier, and another was recorded there on February 19, 1937. Finally, one individual was seen in that same place on January 17, 1939 (Wetmore, 1939).

In 2010 Tim Melling published unpublished photographs in natural and wild conditions of 3, or possibly 4 specimens in Galveston Island, Texas, United States, taken in April 1962 (Melling, 2010).

Among the last records of the species were one from Louisiana and another from Massachusetts, United States, both during the 1970 migration year. Then another in 1976 in James Bay, Ontario, Canada (Sick, 1977).

On May 7, 1981, 23 individuals were counted on Atkinson Island, Galveston Bay, Chambers County, Texas, United States, giving new hope for the survival of the species (Blankinship and King, 1984), however, this last record was not accepted by the Bird Records Committee of that state (COSEWIC, 2009).

On April 16, 1987 Craig Faanes observed a specimen along with Pitotoy Grande (Tringa melanoleuca) and Pitotoy Chico (Tringa flavipes) in Grand Island, Nebraska, United States (Gollop, 1988).

On April 17, 1987 John Arvin observed a specimen in Sabine Pass, Texas, United States (Gollop, 1988).

On May 2, 1987 Wayne and Martha McAlister observed a specimen along with American Whimbrel (Numenius americanus), Marbled Godwit (Limosa fedoa), and Wilson´s Plover (Charadrius wilsonia) in Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, Texas, United States (Gollop, 1988).

On May 24, 1987 Inuk and Billy Jacobsen observed two specimens in Lac Rendez-vous, Northwest Territories, Canada (Gollop, 1988).

On October 13, 1990, a well-known park ranger with a good ability for birdwatching, Pablo Luis Michelutti, spotted 4 specimens matching the appearance of the Eskimo Curlew on the southwest coast of Laguna Mar Chiquita, Córdoba, Argentina, but no evidence was obtained (Michelutti, 1991).

On September 24, 2006 R. Hoffman observed 1 specimen about 18 kilometers southwest of Halifax, Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada (Hoffman, 2007).


Figure No. 1. Specimen displayed at the Bernardino Rivadavia Argentine Museum of Natural Sciences, Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, Argentina.


Author of this compilation: Jorge La Grotteria - 21/05/2017

 See related literature