Numenius phaeopus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Family: Charadriiformes > Scolopacidae
Whimbrel is a smaller version of the Curlew, with a shorter, straighter then down-curved bill and pale crown-stripe. The ‘seven-whistle’ call is diagnostic.
This elegant wader has a very restricted UK breeding range, with a small population nesting mostly in Shetland. Birds start to arrive back on territory from the last week of April, having spent the winter in southern Europe and Africa.
Birdwatchers are most likely to encounter Whimbrel in spring, as birds pass through Britain & Ireland heading for their arctic breeding grounds, which stretch from Greenland to Siberia. Individuals or small flocks can be seen virtually anywhere around our coasts, and sometimes at inland locations in England.
The Eurasian whimbrel is a fairly large wader, though mid-sized as a member of the curlew genus. It is 37–47 cm (15–19 in) in length, 75–90 cm (30–35 in) in wingspan, and 270–493 g (9.5–17.4 oz; 0.595–1.087 lb) in weight. It is mainly greyish brown, with a white back and rump (subspecies N. p. phaeopus and N. p. alboaxillaris only), and a long curved beak with a kink rather than a smooth curve. The usual call is a rippling whistle, prolonged into a trill for the song. 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.
This species feeds by probing soft mud for small invertebrates and by picking small crabs and similar prey off the surface. Before migration, berries become an important part of their diet. It has also been observed taking insects, specifically blue tiger butterflies.