The Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus, is a wader in the large family Scolopacidae. One of the most wide-ranging shorebirds in the world, the Whimbrel breeds in the Arctic in the eastern and western hemispheres, and migrates to South America, Africa, south Asia, and Australia. It uses its long, down-curved bill to probe deep in the sand of beaches for invertebrates, but also feeds on berries and insects.

Taxonomy:

Class: Aves

Order: Charadriiformes

Family: Scolopacidae

Genus: Numenius

Species: N. phaeopus

Binomial name: Numenius phaeopus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Subspecies: Numenius phaeopus phaeopus - northern Europe, northwestern Asia

Numenius phaeopus variegatus - northeastern Asia

Numenius phaeopus alboaxillaris - central Asia (rare, endangered)

Numenius phaeopus hudsonicus - northern North America

Distribution:

It is the one of the most widespread of the curlews, breeding across much of subarctic North America, Europe and Asia as far south as Scotland. Whimbrels are common across northern Australia and uncommon to rare further south. They breed in central Siberia to Iceland. The subspecies variegatus is the one mainly found in Australia and also the Bay of Bengal through to Melanesia, Micronesia and to New Zealand in small numbers.

Physical Characteristics:

Whimbrels are large waders with distinctive long down-curved bills. These bills allow them to probe deeply into mud for titbits. And possibly gave rise to one of their Malay names which means "elephant bird"! This is a large wader at 37-45 cm length. It is mainly greyish brown, with a white back and rump (subspecies N. p. phaeopus and N. p. alboaxillaris only), and a long curved bill (longest in the adult female) with a kink rather than a smooth curve. It is generally wary. The usual call is a rippling whistle, prolonged into a trill for the song. The Whimbrel is a medium-sized curlew, which is mainly streaked brown, with twin dark streaks along the crown and bill. The bill is long and slightly de-curved (curved downwards), with a pink lower base. The legs and neck are long. The body is white below, with coarsely streaked brown upperparts. In flight, the light-coloured rump and streaked tail is obvious. Whimbrels feed in small groups and roost in large flocks, often with other waders.

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

Habitat:

Whimbrels are found mainly on the coast, on tidal and estaurine mudflats, especially near mangroves. They are sometimes found on beaches and rocky shores.

Diet:

Whimbrels feed on intertidal mudflats by day and night, on worms, crustaceans and occasionally fish and nestling birds. They run nimbly and take prey by probing with their long curved bills in the mud or pecking briskly at the surface. Whimbrels probe deeply and move as they feed. They may also pick off food found on the surface. They can take large prey, tearing it to pieces before eating it. In India, they pull fiddler crabs out of their burrows, tear off their larger claw before swallowing the titbit. A muddy food item may be rinsed before it is eaten.

Behavior:

Whimbrels forage on both mud and sandy surfaces, but avoid very soft mud. They are only found in coastal areas and do not forage inland. Whimbrels generally feed alone or in small, spread out parties. At most times of year, they defend some kind of territory. On migration, they maintain a feeding territory that is guarded against other Whimbrels. But Whimbrels roost and migrate in large flocks. They prefer to roost on exposed shoals, tops of mangrove trees or in shallowly flooded clearings in mangroves which face the open sea.

Breeding :

Whimbrels breed in the subarctic and arctic from Iceland across Eurasia, Alaska and Canada. They prefer to nest in boreal or low-arctic moorland and tundra next to the treeline. The male's courtship includes a high circling song flight comprising a prolonged bubbling. They don't have different summer and winter plumage.

Whimbrel nests are just a shallow depression on the ground, usually concealed in low grass or heather. They may also make a nest on top of a mound of moss or grass that is surrounded at the base with water. The hollow is lined with soft grasses, mosses and lichens. 2-5, usually 4 eggs are laid; these are bluish green to a light olive green with lavender and brown markings. Both parents incubate (22-28 days) and raise the young. As soon as the chicks are dry, they leave the nest and stay hidden among the surrounding vegetation. Both parents care for the chicks until they fledge in 35-40 days.