Whimbrel

Overview

Whimbrel: Large, long-legged sandpiper, brown and white mottled upperparts and buff underparts with faint streaks on sides and flanks. Crown is white-striped black and neck is long and streaked. Bill is long, black, and decurved. Tail and rump are brown and black barred. Legs and feet are blue-gray.

Range and Habitat

Whimbrel: Breeds in the Arctic and winters in Africa, southern North America, South America, and south Asia. Preferred habitats include tundra, marshes, prairies, shorelines, and mud flats.

INTERESTING FACTS

The Whimbrel is the one of the most widespread of the curlews.
Adults are very defensive of their nesting area and will attack humans who come too close.
Some migrating birds make a nonstop flight of 2,500 miles from southern Canada or New England to South America.
A group of sandpipers has many collective nouns, including a "bind", "contradiction", "fling", "hill", and "time-step" of sandpipers.

The Whimbrel is a large wading bird found throughout the subarctic regions of North America, Europe, Asia and Scotland. Breeding grounds are found in the British Isles, particularly Shetland, Orkney, the Outer Hebrides, Sutherland and Caithness. During the winter months, this species will fly to the coasts of Africa, South America, south Asia, Australia and southern North America. Nests are scraped on the ground of the tundra or moorland, and adults are very protective of these. Food is found in the soft mud of the coasts, and this bird mainly dines on small invertebrates, crabs and berries. The conservation rating for the Whimbrel is Least Concern.