Adults: Crown, brown with a buff midian strip. Eyebrow, buff. Eyestripe, dark brown. Hind neck, back, scapulars, and most wing coverts, mottled brown with light brown. Lower back, rump, mostly white flecked with brown. Uppertail coverts, flanks, underwing, buff white barred with greyish-brown. Throat, centre of belly, shanks, buff white. Sides of face, neck, breast, buff, streaked streaked with greyish-brown. Tail, greyish-brown barred with dark brown. Bill, dark brown, with base of lower mandible pinkish. Eye, dark brown. Legs, blue grey.
Juveniles: Similar to adult. Crown, darker brown. Eyestripe less distinct. Scapulars, wing-coverts, mantle feathers, black brown with off-white notches. Underparts have finer streaks and bars. Bill is shorter.
Other Names (World)
Whimbrel, Australian Whimbrel, Jack Curlew, Jack Titterel, Eurasian Whimbrel, Asiatic Whimbrel, Siberian Whimbrel, Eastern Whimbrel, American Whimbrel, Hudsonian Curlew (hudsonicus), Hudsonian Whimbrel (hudsonicus), Little Curlew, Mayfowl, Shipmate, Medium Curlew, Seven Whistler
Family
Scolopacidae (Sandpipers, Snipes, Phalaropes)
Breeds in Scandanavia, northern Russia, Alaska and northern Canada, migrates to Central and South America, Africa and across south Asia to Australasia.
Rarity Status
Currently this species is not classified as a rarity in this country OR information has not been updated.
Population
Estimated population is 1,000,000 - 2,300,000 (2010).
Habits
Singly or in small groups, often associating with other waders.
Food
Terrestrial invertebrates. Insects on Tundra, worms, shrimps and other crustaceans on seashores.
Voice
A shrill, rapid, twittering, 'ti-ti-ti-ti-ti-ti'', and occasionally a grating 'croo-ee' like the Eastern Curlew (Numenius madagascariensis). A curlew-like call is uttered in display.
Eurasian Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus) [XC828986]
by Gavia Stellata from Jiuduansha Wetland National Nature Reserve, Shanghai, China (flight call)
Eurasian Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus) [XC717746]
by Lars Mogensen from Coddstown, Wexford, County Wexford, Ireland (flight call)
Breeding Season (Guide)
Does not breed in Australia. Breeds in Arctic in June - July.
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Nest
A shallow depression in the ground, in the open, sparsely lined with grass.
Eggs (Guide)
More heavily marked than that of Eurasian Curlew (Numenius arquata).
Clutch Size: 3 - 5
Color: olive-brown to blue-green variously spotted and streaked with dusky
Dimensions: 58 x 40 mm (oval to pyriform)
Incubation: 27 - 28 days by both sexes
Young
Tended by both parents.
Fledge: 35 - 40 days
Subspecies
Subspecies variegatus and hudsonicus found in Australia.
The following 7 subspecies are recognised:
phaeopus (Linnaeus, 1758) - Iceland, Faeroes and northern Scotland through Scandinavia to R Yenisey and south-western Taymyr. Winters from extreme south-western Europe and Africa through Middle East to western India, Sri Lanka and Andaman and Nicobar Is.
alboaxillaris Lowe, 1921 - Steppes north of Caspian Sea. Winters on islands and coasts of western Indian Ocean.
variegatus (Scopoli, 1786) - North-eastern Siberia, from Verkhoyansk Mts, and perhaps south-eastern Taymyr, to basins of R Kolyma and R Anadyr. Winters from eastern India to Taiwan, and south through Philippines and Indonesia to Australasia.
hudsonicus Latham, 1790 - Western and northern Alaska, east to western Yukon and north-western Mackenzie, and also western Hudson Bay. Winters from southern USA to southern South America. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Hudsonian Curlew (Numenius hudsonicus).
islandicus Brehm, CL, 1831 - Iceland and British Isles. Winters western Africa.
rogachevae Tomkovich, 2008 - North-central Siberia. Wintering grounds uncertain, presumably around Indian Ocean shores.
rufiventris Vigors, 1829 - Alaska and north-western Canada. Winters on coasts from western USA south to South America.
Similar Species
Eurasian Curlew (Numenius arquata)
Much larger. Has a longer bill, and white underwings.
Little Curlew (Numenius minutus)
Smaller. Has a much shorter bill and lacks any white on the rump.
Compare Images
The Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Pizzey, G., and Knight, E., 1997, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 19691 5
Field Guide to Australian Birds Morecombe, M., 2000, Steve Parish Publishing Pty Ltd. ISBN 1 876282 10 X
Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Simpson, K., and Day, N., 1999, 6th Edition, Viking ISBN 0 670 87918 5
Reader's Digest Complete Book of Australian Birds 1988, 2nd Edition, Reader's Digest ISBN 0 949819 99 9
What Bird is That? 1984, Revised Edition, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 14846 5
Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds 1990 - , Oxford University Press, Melbourne ISBN 0 19 553244 9
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BirdLife International Species Factsheet