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8

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

Oman: Family Group 8 Family Group 8 Table Ruddy Turnstone Green Sandpiper Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Terek Sandpiper Common Sandpiper Common Greenshank Marsh Sandpiper Bar-tailed Godwit Black-tailed Godwit Whimbrel Eurasian Curlew Temminck's Stint Sanderling Thumbnails page Classification table Index of bird names 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 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. 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 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, race "phaeopus", are winter visitors to the near-coastal areas of Arabia, including the coastline of Oman. Whimbrels' preferred habitats are coastal estuaries, mangrove swamps and mudflats.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "phaeopus" A Whimbrel, nominate race "phaeopus", was seen by us on the Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, in August-September 2009. It stayed near a pond where it foraged along the edges, but also in the nearby arboretum. Race "variegatus" Whimbrels, race "variegatus", have also been observed by us in Australia.

Photos

Race "phaeopus"

ADULT

FEMALE

Lateral view of a female(?) Whimbrel making the rounds of a pond
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, September 2009]

This Whimbrel was often seen by us wading just inside the water
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, September 2009]

Whimbrel venturing a bit deeper into a pond
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, September 2009]

Dorsal view of a Whimbrel
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, September 2009]

Race "variegatus"

Whimbrels, race "variegatus", have also been photographed by us in Australia.

Food, Diet

Although normally specialised on molluscs and crustaceans, Whimbrels have been seen by us to also take fruit (see photos below).

Sometimes a Whimbrel going further "inland" can win a prize
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, September 2009]

This Whimbrel obviously liked the taste of dates
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, September 2009]

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: Mon, 26 November 2018, 0:53 +00:00