Last of the Curlews

Last of the Curlews is a novel, a fictionalized account of the life of the last Eskimo Curlew. It was written by Fred Bodsworth, a Canadian newspaper reporter and naturalist, in 1955.

The story follows the bird throughout a year during its migration to South America and return to the Canadian Arctic in search of a mate. Although somewhat anthropomorphic in parts, the book paints a realistic and detailed picture of this bird's life and behaviour.

The book may have been somewhat premature in that there were confirmed sightings of this bird in 1963 and there were a number of unconfirmed sightings after that date. However, this bird may now be extinct.

The book was made into an animated film by Hanna-Barbera Productions. This film was first shown in October 1972. It was given an Emmy for children's programming in 1973.

The 1998 edition (ISBN 1-88-717825-2) includes a forward by the poet W.S. Merwin and an afterword by physicist Murray Gell-Mann.