In a very sad development, a once-abundant species has formally been declared extinct. A highly migratory member of the wader family, the Slender-billed Curlew was a close relative of the Eurasian Curlew that we know and love here in Ireland. The last confirmed sighting was of a single individual at Merja Zerga, Morocco in 1995.

Derek Mooney and guests explore the natural world in all its forms. Listen live every Monday at 10pm on RTÉ Radio 1.