Once possibly among the most numerous of shorebirds to migrate through the Great Plains, the Eskimo Curlew is now feared extinct. Highly sought after in the 1800's as a game-bird because of their plump bodies, vast numbers were shot for food. While other shorebirds began to make a comeback after hunting stopped, Eskimo Curlews continued to decline. The last verified sighting was in Barbados in 1963. Very similar to the story of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, however, unconfirmed reports have continued to trickle in since. An intriguing sighting came from a well-respected ornithologist in 2006 on the coast of Nova Scotia, but no photo or other proof was obtained.
