The slender-billed curlew once migrated throughout most of the northern hemisphere. Although it mostly stayed within Eurasia and Northern Africa, it was notoriously known for flying off course to distant lands. It was reported in Spain, Japan, and even Canada. The exact reason for its extinction isn’t known. One major theory is that part of its breeding grounds in Russia and elsewhere were converted to farmland, specifically wheatfields. In the process of creating farmland many of the swamplands where it was thought to breed were drained. Because the nesting grounds of the slender-billed curlew were never found, it's hard to know the exact cause of its extinction. There was added pressure from hunters who used the curlews as a food source. With increased hunting pressure and more scattered breeding sights, it is possible that the slender-billed curlew populations became fragmented over time. In the late 1980’s, it was reported in its wintering grounds in Merja Zerga, Morocco. During that time Morocco and Turkey were converting swampland into farmland, which sealed the curlew’s fate. The last documented sighting was in Morocco in 1995. In October of 2025, the slender-billed curlew was officially listed as extinct. Could the slender-billed curlew still be out there somewhere within its massive migratory range, hiding amongst other curlews? It is possible, as many unconfirmed sightings have been mentioned since 1995. Although Jurassic Park is fiction, scientists are working on several de-extinction projects. In fact, in 2003 scientists did bring back the extinct Pyrenean ibex, a type of wild goat, for 7 minutes before it died, showing de-extinction is possible. The slender-billed curlew would be a good candidate. Scientists would potentially use DNA from the specimens in museum collections. Since it was alive up until 1995, the genetic material could be used to bring back the slender-billed curlew. If the slender-billed curlew was ever brought back from extinction, would it be able to survive?