Whimbrel

The Whimbrel, Numenius phaeopus, is a wader in the large family Scolopacidae. It is the one of the most widespread of the curlews, breeding across much of subarctic North America, Europe and Asia.

This is a migratory species wintering on coasts in Africa, South America, south Asia into Australasia. It is fairly gregarious outside the breeding season.

This is a large wader at 37-45 cm length. It is mainly greyish brown, with a white back (European race N. p. phaeopus only), and a long curved bill (longest in the adult female) with a kink rather than a smooth curve. It is generally wary. The familiar call is a rippling whistle.

The only similar common species over most of this bird's range are larger curlews. Whimbrel is smaller, has a shorter bill and has a central crown stripe and strong supercilia.

This species feeds by probing soft mud for small invertebrates and by picking small crabs and similar prey off the surface.

The nest is a bare scrape on tundra or arctic moorland. 3-5 eggs are laid.