Orison for a Curlew

The slender-billed curlew, Numenius tenuirostris, "the slim beak of the new moon," is one of the world's rarest birds. It once bred in Siberia and wintered in the Mediterranean basin, passing through the wetlands and estuaries of Italy, Greece, the Balkans and Central Asia. Today, the slender-billed curlew only exists as a rumour, a ghost species surrounded by unconfirmed sightings and speculation. The only certainty is that it now stands on the edge of extinction. This is a story of beauty, triumph and the struggles of conservation. It is a homage to a creature that may never be seen again.