Bird thought to be extinct is first recorded case in mainland Europe

The Slender-billed Curlew is a migratory shorebird

A bird that was last seen nearly 30 years ago, is now thought to be extinct according to conservation groups.

The Slender-billed Curlew, as it's called, could be the first recorded global bird extinction from mainland Europe, north Africa and west Asia.

If the extinction is confirmed, it will join just 164 birds recognised as extinct on the IUCN Red List, which monitors the risk of extinction amongst animal species.

Scientists from the RSPB, BirdLife International, Naturalis Biodiversity Centre in the Netherlands and Natural History Museum published a report on the bird.

In it they say that there has not been any confirmed 'sightings since 1995.'

Combining their research with that of the IUCN, they estimate that the has a 96% probability of being extinct.

Nicola Crockford, Principal Policy Officer for the RSPB said: “This is one of the most fundamentally devastating stories to come out of nature conservation in a century."

A Eurasian Curlew and Slender-billed Curlew - photo is undated

The last reported sighting of the bird was in February 1995 in Morocco.

The report says that the cause of the decline of the Slender-billed Curlew might never be understood fully.

However scientists believe that there could have been impacts from pollution, disease, climate change and loss of habitat - the areas where the bird would naturally live and have access to food.

Dr Alex Bond, Senior Curator in Charge of Birds at the Natural History Museum, has been part of the team investigating what's happened to the Curlew.

Dr Bond says: “As climate change continues - Things are not getting better for birds.

Tackling climate change, habitat destruction and pollution is the best chance we’ve got at protecting them, at home and abroad.”