Whimbrel
Numenius phaeopus
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderCharadriiformes (Shorebirds and Allies)
- FamilyScolopacidae (Sandpipers and Allies)
- GenusNumenius (Curlews)
- SpeciesNumenius phaeopus (Whimbrel)
About the Whimbrel
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.
The Eurasian whimbrel was formally described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name Scolopax phaeopus. It is now placed with the curlews in the genus Numenius that was introduced by Mathurin Jacques Brisson in 1760.
The genus name Numenius is from Ancient Greek noumenios, a bird mentioned by Hesychius. It is associated with the curlews because it appears to be derived from neos, "new" and mene, "moon", referring to the crescent-shaped bill. The specific epithet phaeopus is the Medieval Latin name for the bird, from Ancient Greek phaios, "dusky" and pous, "foot". The English name "whimbrel" is imitative of the bird's call.
Five subspecies are recognised: N. p. phaeopus (Linnaeus, 1758) – nominate... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Whimbrel in Wadden Sea National Park
LIVEiNaturalistClosest Relatives at Wadden Sea National Park
Eurasian Curlew
Numenius arquata
Common Redshank
Tringa totanus
Dunlin
Calidris alpina
Ruddy Turnstone
Arenaria interpres
Common Snipe
Gallinago gallinago
Bar-tailed Godwit
Limosa lapponica
Sanderling
Calidris alba
Black-tailed Godwit
Limosa limosa
Common Greenshank
Tringa nebularia
Ruff
Calidris pugnax
Common Sandpiper
Actitis hypoleucos
Red Knot
Calidris canutus
Global Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Whimbrel in Wadden Sea National Park?
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Whimbrel sighting in Wadden Sea National Park, based on 1,296 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Whimbrel in Wadden Sea National Park?
August has the highest sighting rate for Whimbrel in Wadden Sea National Park in our monthly data.