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8

Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus) Size: 38-43 cm; wing span 75-90 cm Weight: 310-490 g

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Similar species

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

Physical description Click here for a physical description 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 kinked 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, 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 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. 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. Whimbrels' preferred habitats are coastal estuaries, mangrove swamps and mudflats.

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

Photos

Race "variegatus"

ADULT

MALE

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

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

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

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

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

Near-dorsal view of a male 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 Whimbrel
[Bundjalung NP, NSW, February 2012]

In this dorsal view of a male(?) 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 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(?) Whimbrel (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Deception Bay, QLD, February 2018]

Lateral view of a female 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(?) 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 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"

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

Food, Diet

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

Lateral view of a 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.

Disclaimer: Comments are always welcome. We give no guarantee that the information presented on these pages is always correct or up-to-date. External links are marked as such and we take no responsibility for the contents of external pages. All images on this site are protected by copyright & used by permission of the respective owners. If you wish to reproduce them or any of the material presented on this web site, please contact us: We hereby acknowledge the original custodians of the land which is described on these pages, including the Gomeroi/Gamilaraay people of the North-west Slopes and Plains of NSW, and the traditional owners of other lands and nations within this country. We acknowledge elders past, present and emerging. Sovereignty was never ceded.          Last updated: Tue, 29 January 2019, 3:21 +00:00