INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL FOR PRESERVATION in and the West Indiesand discuss potential avenues for fosteringits conservationand STATUSAND recovery. STATUS Migration CONSERVATIONOFTHE Gollop et al. (1986) describedin detail the status and distribution of ESKIMOCURLEW EskimoCurlews during migration. We will not repeatthose details here. byCraigA. Faanes and In spring,Eskimo appar- StanleyE. Senner ently followeda relativelynarrow migrationcorridor from the Texas coastnorth through the plains states THE ESKIMO (Numenius plowedand where the grasshopper in the Missouri-Mississippirivers borealis)is now amongthe rarest eggswere laid" (Swenk 1915:43). drainageto the prairieprovinces in bird speciesin North America. Woodward (1980) noted that and then northwest to the Reportsfrom aslate asthe 1860s althoughthe LesserGolden-Plover Arctic. Most United States records and 1870s indicated that the (Pluvialisdominica), a species with a in spring are from late March Eskimo Curlew occurred in tremen- rangenearly identical to theEskimo throughthe end of April.Canadian dousnumbers (e.g. Swenk, 1915). Curlew,began to increasein num- sightingsare during mid-May. By the late 1880s, however,the bersfollowing the cessationof mar- Gollopetal. (1986:Table 1) listed specieshad noticeablydeclined ket hunting,the curlewcontinued reportsof EskimoCurlews during throughoutits range,and many its decline.Grasshopper egg pods the period1945 through1985. In ornithologists considered the were a favored food for Eskimo that time, 35 Eskimo Curlews were EskimoCurlew extinct or nearlyso Curlews.Woodward (1980) sug- reportedin 11 separatesightings in by the early20th century(Swenk gestedthat becausegrasshoppers the plainsstates and provinces. All 1915,Gollop etal. 1986). avoidedlaying eggs on cultivated but two of the records were from Clearly, market hunting and land,a declinein the availabilityof Texas,and, with the exceptionof "sport"shooting figured prominent- eggpods may haveprevented the the individualphotographed by ly in thepopulation reduction (e.g., curlew'srecovery. Declines in the Bleitz (1962) on GalvestonIsland in Swenk1915), but other factorsalso hugeflights of grasshopperson the 1962, noneof theserecords is con- may have played a role. Banks GreatPlains occurred concurrently firmed by a specimenor photo- (1977)agreed that hunting mortali- with the lossand fragmentationof graph. ty contributed to population GreatPlains grasslands due to culti- In the fall, Eskimo Curlews fol- declines,but he alsosuggested that vation, a reduction in the extent lowedthe southboundleg of a clas- an increase in the number of storms and frequencyof fire, and the sicalelliptical shorebird migration. in the North Atlanticduring fall demiseof greatherds of American They left Arcticnesting grounds in migration and loweredambient Bison(Bison bison). Any or all of Canada(and possiblyAlaska) and temperatureson the breeding thesechanges could have affected migrated east and south to the groundsin Arctic Canadain the curlewhabitats and prey. northAtlantic coast (Gollop et al. 1880smay havecaused increased Although the reasonsfor the 1986: Map 3). Largenumbers of mortalityand reducedreproductive Eskimo Curlew's decline are unclear, spentseveral weeks on the SuccesS. it is evidentthat the population has coast,especially in Labrador,where The declinealso may havebeen neverrecovered. This is so in spite theyfattened up andthen departed relatedto habitat loss,both on the of the fact that it has been com- in what was probablya nonstop winteringgrounds of theArgentine pletelyprotected from huntingin flightto SouthAmerica. Pampas(Wetmore 1927) and at the United States and Canada since Since 1959, 15 Eskimo Curlews migration stops on the North passageof the Migratory Bird Treaty havebeen reported on 11 separate American prairies. In spring, Act in 1918. sightingsduring the fall migration Eskimo Curlews were found on Here, we brieflysummarize the in North America and the West "piecesof landwhich had not been current status of the Eskimo Curlew Indies (Gollop et al. 1986). With

Volume 45, Number 2' 23? the exception of one Eskimo --albeit unconfirmedsightings-- ßknow how to distinguishEskimo Curlew, which was collected on of EskimoCurlews in recentyears Curlewsfrom similar species (e.g., September4,1963 in Barbados, giverise to thehope that a remnant Whimbrel[ Numenius phaeopus] none of these records is confirmed populationexists and that it canbe and [Numenius by a photographor specimen.As is protectedin a waythat will increase minutus]). typicalfor shorebirdsgenerally, the prospectsfor survivaland even ßroutinely search Eskimo Curlew fall migrationextends over many growth.The U.S. Fishand Wildlife habitats(e.g., wet meadowsand weeks.Most autumn sightings have Servicewas prompted in 1990 to open,grassy areas) in the proper beenin Augustand September. establish an Eskimo Curlew season. AdvisoryGroup, comprised of rep- ßmake every appropriate effort to NestingGrounds resentatives of the U.S.F.& W.S., document observationsof Eskimo The onlyEskimo Curlew nests ever Canadian Wildlife Service, Inter- Curlew-likebirds with multiple found were from the Anderson national Council for Bird Preser- photographsandcopious notes. Riverregion in CanaddsNorthwest vation-United States Section, ßimmediately inform others about Territory (Gollop et al. 1986). AsociacionOrnitologica de la Plata anypossible sightings. Considerabledebate exists regarding (Argentina), and the Western the current status of the Eskimo To encouragethe active assistance of HemisphereShorebird Reserve birders, the U.S.F. & W.S. has Curlew on its nestinggrounds. Network.In its initialmeeting, the printeda brochure,"Have You Seen Reportssurfaced in 1987of curlews advisorygroup began to developan An Eskimo Curlew?" which is avail- on the traditionalbreeding grounds informal3-5 yearstrategy focused on: able by writing to U.S. Fishand In northwestArctic Canada (Gollop Wildlife Service, 203 West Second 1988). The official position ßreviewing historical information Street, Grand Island, Nebraska expressedby the CanadianWildlife 68803.TheU.S.E &W.S. printeda Service is that there are no recent, thatprovides clues about the cur- rent status and needs of the confirmed nest records from Arctic Spanishlanguage version of the Eskimo Curlew. same brochure and also a "wanted" Canada(R. Edwards,in litt.). ßeducating the publicabout the posterabout the Eskimo Curlew for EskimoCurlew and enlisting the distribution in Barbados and other WinteringGrounds help of birdersto documentits islands in the Caribbean and In There are not any recent sight current status and distribution. Latin America.During the 1990- recordsfrom the wintering grounds ßassessing the availabilityof and 1991winter season, these publicity In Argentinaor elsewherein South degreeof protectionfor habitats efforts resulted in four new America.The lastsight record from on which Eskimo Curlews have unconfirmedand unphotographed Argentinawas in 1939. beenhistorically dependent. EskimoCurlew reports from and the Caribbean. CONSERVATION Clearly,before one can evencon- Anyonewho thinksthey've seen The EskimoCurlew was placed on templateactive steps to protector the United States endangered Eskimo Curlews should call (308) enhancethe EskimoCurlew popu- 381-5571 in the United States specieslist in 1967 (U.S.E &W.S. lation and habitats, much basic (U.S.E& W.S.), (306) 975-4087 in 1986), and it was declaredendan- informationis required.Every read- geredin Canadain 1980 (Fraser Canada (Canadian Wildlife er of AmericanBirds probably Service),and (809) 426-9635 in the 1980). Subsequentlythere have dreamsabout seeingan Eskimo beenno activemanagement or con- LesserAntilles (CaribbeanConser- Curlew,and the help of thebirding vationAssociation). servationefforts for the specific public throughout the Western The goalof documentingsight- benefitof thisspecies or itshabitats. Hemisphereisthe crucial ingredient During1981-1984, Tom Barryand ingsof EskimoCurlews is not only in any curlew recoveryprogram. to confirm their existence,but also othersused helicopters to revisit Specifically,we encourageall field someof the sameareas along the birders to: to begin to establishsome pre- Anderson River where McFarland dictabilityin occurrenceand some sense of numbers. This will enable found nestingEskimo Curlews in ßbe readywith a camerawhenever the 1860s (Gollop et al. 1986). yougo shorebirding or birding in supportingresearch and, ultimately, Thoseefforts did not resultin any appropriatehabitat. habitat protection measuresto fresh evidence on the status of the ßbe informed about when and benefitthe curlew.Although some EskimoCurlew's nesting grounds. wherethe presenceof Eskimo habitatsonce frequented by this Nonetheless,continued reports Curlewsmight be a possibility. speciesmay already be protected,

238 AmericanBirds, Summer 1991 manysuch areas will not be. For Literat.re Cited BANItS,R.D. 1977. The declineand example,97 % of theoriginal areal BOOKS on BIRDS extentof wet meadowsadjacent to fall of the EskimoCudew, or why the Platte River, Nebraska have did the curlewgo extaille?Am. been lost (Currier et al. 1985). Bira• 31:127-134. Protectingcrucial habitats for BLEITZ,D. 1962.Photographing the EskimoCurlews will requirehard Eskimo Curlew. V•bst.Bird Bander evidence,and none too soon. 37: 43-45. Priorityareas for documentingCUVa•IER, P.E, G.R. LINGLEAND J.G. thepresence of migrantor winter- VANDERWALKER.1985. Migratory ingEskimo Curlews--and for pro- bird habitat on the Platte and tectingpotential habitats--include North Platte rivers in Nebraska. wetlandsand grasslands in coastal Plate River Whooping Crane Texas, the prairie states and Trust,Grand Island, Nebraska. provinces (especially eastern Ft•$ER,J. A. 1980.Department of Oklahomanorth throughSouth Environment public notice. Dakota), Hudson Bay, coastal Scheduleofendangered and threat- Labrador,Barbados, Surinam, and enedspecies. Canada Gazette Part Argentina. 1, Feb.2,pp. 698-699. Bird Trapping and Confirmationof nestingEskimo GoI•I•O?,J.B. 1988. The Eskimo Bird Banding Curlewswould be exciting news, Cudew.Audubon Wildlife Report A Handbookfor Trapping but it couldalso encourage poten- 1988/1989. Academic Press,Inc. Methods All Over the World ByHANS BUB.Translated by tially harmfultraffic by people Harcourt Brace Jovanovitch, Frances Hamerstrom and Karin wanringto seethe nests and birds. Publishers.pp.582-595. Wuertz-Schaefer. 456 b&w illus. Thisproblem can be addressed by __,T.W. BAK•YAND E.H. IVERSEN. $67.50 delayingannouncements until after 1986.Eskimo Curlew: vanishing the breedingseason and by not species?Saskatchewan Natural Life of the Pigeon HistorySociet% Special Publication ByALEXANDER F. SKUTCH. revealingspecific locations. If the Illustratedby DANA presenceof a sufficientnumber of 17. GARDNER. 24 colorplates, 29 migrantsor winteringbirds can be SWENK,M.H. 1915. The Eskimo b&w illus. $49.95 established,intensive systematic Curlew and its disappearance. searchesfor nests,conducted by or Proceedingsof the Nebraska A Guide to the in close cooperationwith the Ornithologists'Union 6: 25-44. Birds of Costa Rica responsiblegovernment agencies, WETMORE, A. 192Z Our migrant ByF. GARYSTILES and shorebirds in southern South ALEXANDER F. SKUTCH. maythen be appropriate. Illustratedby DANA All thingsconsidered, confirma- America.U.S. Departmentof GARDNER. 52 colorplates, 43 AgricultureBull. 26. 24pp. b&w illus. $65.00 cloth, $35.00 tion of the presenceof Eskimo softcover Curlews--particularlyof nestsor WOODW^I•D,D.W. 1980. Selected multipleindividuals--is just the vertebrateendangered species of information needed to renew and the seacoastof the United States-- Life of the Tanager Eskimo curlew. U.S. Fish and ByALEXANDER F. SKUTCH. galvanizeefforts to protectthis Illustratedby DANA speciesand its criticalhabitats in WildlifeService. Biological Services GARDNER. 19 linedrawings, 24 North and South America. The Program.FWS/OBS-80/01.17. colorplates. $36.50 returnand recovery of the "lastof the curlews" would indeed be an Life of the extraordinaryevent. ß Woodpecker ByALEXANDER F. SKUTCH. Ack. owledgments Illustratedby DANA GARDNER. 62 colorplates. $49.95 Numerous constructive comments on -U.S. Fishand Wildli• Service, earlierdrafts of the manuscriptwere 20.3 WestSecond Street, GrandIslana• NE 68801 (Faanes); At bookstoresor from-- providedby KathleenAnderson, InternationalCouncil fbr Bird Preservation GonzaloCastro, Kelly Drake, Ronald -U.S. Secaon,P.O. Box 10119.3, Garrett,Douglas Johnson, James Lewis Anchorage,AK99510 (Senner). andJulie Savidge.

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