8

Eurasian Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus) Alternate name(s): "Common Whimbrel", "White-rumped Whimbrel" Size: 38-43 cm; wing span 75-90 cm Body mass: 320-500 g (male), 400-680 g (female) Wing loading [g/cm2]: 0.47/0.80 (male, lean/fat), 0.51/0.88 (female, lean/fat)

Australia: Family Group 8 Family Group 8 Table Red-backed Button-quail Chestnut-backed Button-quail Little Button-quail Red-chested Button-quail Painted Button-quail Black-breasted Button-quail Ruddy Turnstone Latham's Snipe Swinhoe's Snipe Painted Snipe Asian Dowitcher Bar-tailed Godwit Black-tailed Godwit Hudsonian Godwit Whimbrel Little Curlew Eastern Curlew Eurasian Curlew Pectoral Sandpiper Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Curlew Sandpiper Ruff Red Knot Great Knot Wandering Tattler Grey-tailed Tattler Wood Sandpiper Terek Sandpiper Common Sandpiper Green Sandpiper Buff-breasted Sandpiper Common Greenshank Marsh Sandpiper Red-necked Stint Long-toed Stint Temminck's Stint Sanderling Broad-billed Sandpiper Thumbnails page Family group table Index of bird names Habitat pages Key plants Birds home page

Similar species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Eurasian Whimbrels are medium-sized, long-billed shorebirds. They have a dark grey-brown with light-grey streaked head, neck and chest, with two prominent parallel dark-brown stripes running the length of the cap. The belly and vent are off-white with some brown streakng, while the wings are boldly scalloped light and dark grey-brown. The uppertail is barred. Their plumage is cryptic, i.e. camouflaged, against the background of a mudflat. The dark-grey bill is long and curved downwards, with a lighter, pinkish base of the lower mandible. Adult females have a longer bill than males. Legs and feet are grey. Twitcher's tip Compared to other members of the Numenius family, Eurasian Whimbrels are by far the most vociferous. Their calls carry over long distances. The correct identification of waders ("shorebirds"), e.g. of the Calidris, Tringa, Actitis and related families or of the Charadrius, Pluvialis and related genera in the field can be quite tricky. We have therefore made an attempt to give some advice HERE. "Raptors" (or "birds of prey"), most prominently, but also some species of waders, show a pronounced "dimorphism", i.e. a difference between male and female birds - not just in the appearance of the plumage, but in other, important properties, such as size or strength. Here we explain why.

Taxonomy, classification See Eurasian Whimbrel at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Whimbrel is available HERE . There are 7 extant races of Whimbrels, which are a migratory species. They breed in various subarctic areas, in North America, Europe, as far South as Scotland, and Asia. The various races spend the northern winters along the coastlines of southern North America, South America, Africa, Arabia and of southern Asia into Australasia. During their migration they can be found in (mostly coastal) wetlands along their relatively well-defined migration routes. Eurasian Whimbrels, races "variegatus" and "hudsonicus", migrate to Australia from the North, via Torres Strait and in general the Timor Sea and along the Great Barrier Reef, southward along the entire Australian seaboard, including Bass Strait and the East coast of Tasmania. They are found on offshore islands as well, but - apart from very few reports along the lower Murray River - nowhere inland. Eurasian Whimbrels' preferred habitats are coastal estuaries, mangrove swamps and mudflats.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "variegatus" A Eurasian Whimbrel, race "variegatus", was first found by us in Australia at Urunga board walk, Urunga Heads, NSW, in mangrove marshland, in February 2012. Since then they are found by us there regularly. A single Eurasian Whimbrel, race "variegatus", was also seen by us at Bundjalung NP near Iluka, northern NSW, in February 2012. Various contributors report finding Eurasian Whimbrels, race "variegatus", in and around Darwin, NT, semi-regularly. M. Mearns reports spotting a Eurasian Whimbrel, race "variegatus", on Lady Elliot Island, near Agnes Water, QLD, in January 2016. M. Eaton reports spotting Eurasian Whimbrels, race "variegatus", regularly in various locations along the coastline of QLD. C. Pears found a Eurasian Whimbrel, race "variegatus", at the Broome Bird Observatory, Broome, WA, in June 2025, while M. Eaton found a large number of them at nearby Campsite Beach, Roebuck Bay, near Broome, WA, in June 2026. Race "phaeopus" Eurasian Whimbrels, nominate race "phaeopus", were seen by us in Oman and in Europe.

Photos

Race "variegatus"

ADULT

PAIR

Many bird species exhibit sexual dimorphism, i.e., male and female have differing appearances which can be quite subtle.
In Eurasian Whimbrels the only way of telling the sexes apart is by the length of the bill. The male's, left, is ca. 1.5x the size of the head; the female's about 2x the size of the head.

MALE

Frontal view of a male Eurasian Whimbrel (photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[Lady Elliot Island, near Agnes Water, QLD, January 2016]

Frontal view of several Eurasian Whimbrels (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Wynnum, QLD, December 2017]

Near-lateral view of a male Eurasian Whimbrel (photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[Lady Elliot Island, near Agnes Water, QLD, January 2016]

Lateral view of a male Eurasian Whimbrel (photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[Lady Elliot Island, near Agnes Water, QLD, January 2016]

Lateral view of a male Eurasian Whimbrel near a rockshelf, where it was seen foraging
[Bundjalung NP, NSW, February 2012]

Near-dorsal view of a male Eurasian Whimbrel, with a Gull-billed Tern in the background (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Toorbul Wader Roost, Brisbane, QLD, August 2017]

Dorsal view of a Eurasian Whimbrel
[Bundjalung NP, NSW, February 2012]

In this dorsal view of a male(?) Eurasian Whimbrel one can clearly see the characteristic white rump; in the foreground a Great Knot in near-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[East Point, Darwin, NT, March 2013]

Dorsal view of a male Eurasian Whimbrel in flight; one can clearly see the characteristic white rump (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Casuarina Coastal Reserve, Darwin, NT, January 2019]

FEMALE

Frontal view of a female(?) Eurasian Whimbrel (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Deception Bay, QLD, February 2018]

Lateral view of a female Eurasian Whimbrel; note the long bill, which is about twice as long as the size of the head
[Urunga board walk, Urunga Heads, NSW, February 2012]

Lateral view of a female(?) Eurasian Whimbrel; depending on light conditions the apparent colour pattern of the plumage can change
[Urunga board walk, Urunga Heads, NSW, April 2015]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Lateral view of a male Eurasian Whimbrel with a particularly short and curved bill, possibly a first-year bird; in the foreground three Bar-tailed Godwits in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Wynnum Wetlands, QLD, April 2018]

Race "phaeopus"

Eurasian Whimbrels, nominate race "phaeopus", were previously spotted and photographed by us in Oman and in Europe.

Behaviour

Social behaviour: ?

Mobility: Migratory

Elementary unit: Solitary/mob

Juvenile Eurasian Whimbrels, once they have reached Australia, will only migrate back to the northern hemisphere when they reach maturity (at 2 to 3 years of age). Therefore, although a non-breeding migrant, young non-breeders can be found in Australia all year round.

Food, Diet

Although normally specialised on molluscs and crustaceans, Eurasian Whimbrels have been seen by us to also take fruit (dates) in Oman.

Lateral view of a Eurasian Whimbrel that has caught a mud crab
[Urunga board walk, Urunga Heads, NSW, March 2015]

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

whimbrl_20150326_2.m4a	(NE NSW)	Warning/departure	© MD
whimbrl_20150327.m4a	(NE NSW)	?	© MD
whimbrl_20150327_2.mp3	(NE NSW)	?	© MD
whimbrl_20150326.m4a	(NE NSW)	?	© MD
whimbrl_20160920.mp3	(NE NSW)	?	© MD
whimbrl_20160920_2.mp3	(NE NSW)	?	© MD

More Whimbrel sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

Would you like to contribute photos or sound recordings to this site? If interested, please CLICK HERE. Credits to contributors are given HERE.