KJ
Deceased: shot illegally May 2017
Alpha Flag Code: KJ
Capture date: 5-2-17
Sex: male
Location: Idaho Army National Guard Orchard Combat Training Center, south of the Boise Airport
Namesake: Unfortunately, KJ was shot before he received a name.
KJ became famous when we filmed his capture live and shared it on The Curlew Crew facebook page. You can watch the video of him receiving his transmitter here.
Exponential Loss
Unfortunately, KJ and his mate Syringa were found dead on their breeding grounds on the Orchard Combat Training Center in 2017, shortly after KJ received his transmitter. Necropsy results confirmed that both curlews had been shot.
This is a perfect example of “exponential loss”. The loss of a mated pair doesn’t lead to just 2 deaths, it can be up to 6 when including the chicks left behind. When you start to understand this alarming rate of loss, it is easy to see how quickly a species like the Long-billed curlew can reach a 95% decline in just under 40 years. These birds are one of Idaho’s “Species of Greatest Conservation Need” and cannot afford the continued decline to their population.
Share the Info
You can help us stop the rapid decline of the Long-billed curlew and SHARE this info. Curlews are a protected species! If a curlew starts dive-bombing you, it likely has chicks and is only trying to protect its family. The solution to avoiding curlew mobbing is simple: move away a few hundred yards. You can be fined up to $1,000 for shooting a curlew or any other protected birds.
Curlew Crew Biologist Ben Wright holds KJ on the Orchard Combat Training Center near Pleasant Valley Road