Eurasian Whimbrel

Numenius phaeopus (Linnaeus, 1758)

37–47 cmLength107 cmWingspan365 gWeight

This gray-rufous wader has a long, decurved bill and a stripe down the center of its crown.

Busiest months: April–May and August–September · Most records: United States, Chile, Spain

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

Bill long and decurved, with a kink
Central crown stripe; distinct supercilium
Body feathers mainly gray-rufous
Only some subspecies have a white back and rump

Voice

Usual call is an undulating whistle, drawn out into a trill in song.

Where and when it's recorded

Busiest months: April–May and August–September · Most records: United States, Chile, Spain

Eurasian Whimbrel has been recorded at 2,809 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 196 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Southeast Farallon IslandUnited States14,264 records
San Diego River mudflatsUnited States8,299 records
Malibu Lagoon – State Beach including LagoonUnited States6,468 records

More places

Pt. Pinos – seawatch onlyUnited States5,782 records
Heron's Head ParkUnited States5,706 records
Bolsa Chica Ecological ReserveUnited States5,704 records
Edwin B. Forsythe NWRUnited States5,686 records
Cairns EsplanadeAustralia5,490 records
Txingudi – PlaiaundiSpain5,083 records
Tárcoles – Tour en BoteCosta Rica4,119 records

Countries and regions with the most records

United States Chile Spain Australia United Kingdom Canada Portugal China

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The Eurasian whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus), historically known as the white-rumped whimbrel in North America, is a wader in the large family Scolopacidae. It is one of the most widespread of the curlews, breeding across much of subarctic Palearctic region and Europe as far south as Scotland. This species and the Hudsonian whimbrel were split in 2019, although some taxonomic authorities still consider them to be conspecific.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Eurasian Whimbrel?

The Eurasian Whimbrel is about 37–47 cm long, with a wingspan of 107 cm and weighs around 365 g.

Where does the Eurasian Whimbrel live?

Its breeding range: Palearctic: patchily in subarctic tundra of Palearctic: northeastern Greenland and northern Scotland through subarctic Russia to Chukotskiy Peninsula (northeastern Russia). It is most often recorded in United States, Chile and Spain.

When is the best time to see the Eurasian Whimbrel?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in April, May, August and September (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the Eurasian Whimbrel endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Eurasian Whimbrel as Least Concern.

What does the Eurasian Whimbrel eat?

Main food: Omnivore.

What family is the Eurasian Whimbrel in?

It belongs to the family Sandpipers, Snipes (Scolopacidae), order Charadriiformes.

At a glance

Length: 37–47 cm
Wingspan: 107 cm
Weight: 365 g
Habitat: Grassland
Diet: Omnivore
Lifestyle: Active on the ground
Migration: Migratory
Conservation: Least Concern

More measurements

Wing: 233 mm
Tail: 100 mm
Bill: 92 mm
Tarsus: 60 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Palearctic: patchily in subarctic tundra of Palearctic: northeastern Greenland and northern Scotland through subarctic Russia to Chukotskiy Peninsula (northeastern Russia)

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2