BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Researchers say long-billed curlews are declining in southwestern Idaho due to poachers.
The Idaho Statesman reports researchers at Boise State University say a curlew was poached in the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area southwest of Boise on June 1.
It was the seventh of the 16 birds fitted with transmitters that have been killed by suspected poachers since 2013.
Researchers say none of the 50 birds fitted with transmitters located in other parts of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming have been poached.
Curlews are migratory birds that reside in the Mountain West from March to June and spend their winters along the coasts of California and Mexico.
In southwest Idaho, their numbers on a steep decline, with as much as a 90 percent decrease in some areas.
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Information from: Idaho Statesman, http://www.idahostatesman.com
