NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Eskimo Curlew
Numenius borealis (J. R. Forster, 1772)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Nonbreeding Breeding
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Open encyclopedia reference
The Eskimo curlew (Numenius borealis), also known as northern curlew, is a species of curlew in the family Scolopacidae. It was one of the most numerous shorebirds in the tundra of western Arctic Canada and Alaska. Thousands of birds were then killed per year in the late 1800s. As there has not been a reliable sighting since 1987 or a confirmed sighting since 1963, the Eskimo curlew is considered Critically Endangered or possibly extinct. The bird is about 30 cm (12 in) long and feeds mostly on insects and berries.
Wikipedia contributors, Eskimo curlew; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T03:21:43.865191+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Numenius borealis (J. R. Forster, 1772)
- Name authority
- (J. R. Forster, 1772)
- Common name
- Eskimo Curlew
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Scolopacidae
- Genus
- Numenius
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderCharadriiformes
- familyScolopacidae Rafinesque, 1815
- genusNumenius Brisson, 1760
- speciesNumenius borealis (J. R. Forster, 1772)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Numenius. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Eastern CurlewNumenius madagascariensis (Linnaeus, 1766) | ScolopacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Little CurlewNumenius minutus Gould, 1841 | ScolopacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Eurasian WhimbrelNumenius phaeopus (Linnaeus, 1758) | ScolopacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Long-billed CurlewNumenius americanus Bechstein, 1812 | ScolopacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Eurasian CurlewNumenius arquata (Linnaeus, 1758) | ScolopacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Bristle-thighed CurlewNumenius tahitiensis (J. F. Gmelin, 1789) | ScolopacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Slender-billed CurlewNumenius tenuirostris Vieillot, 1817 | ScolopacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Scolopax borealis J. R. Forster, 1772 J. R. Forster, 1772 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
South America
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=176605 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:483T2. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.