Whimbrel

Numenius phaeopus (Linnaeus, 1758) WM WHIMB 5380
Family: Charadriiformes > Scolopacidae

Whimbrel, Chris Knights

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.

Identification

Whimbrel identification is often straightforward. The following article may help when identifying Whimbrel.

related video

Identifying Curlew and Whimbrel

Curlew is a familiar wader, found in wild habitats around the UK. In April and May numbers of their smaller cousin, Whimbrel, will be moving through towards their northerly breeding sites and these birds can cause confusion. This video helps you to confidently separate  the two species by sight and sound.

SONGS AND CALLS

Listen to example recordings of the main vocalisations of Whimbrel, provided by xeno-canto contributors.

Call

Song

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Status and Trends

Population size and trends and patterns of distribution based on BTO surveys and atlases with data collected by BTO volunteers.

CONSERVATION STATUS

This species can be found on the following statutory and conservation listings and schedules.

POPULATION SIZE

POPULATION CHANGE

Most Whimbrel seen in Britain are passage migrants en route to Iceland, Scandinavia and Russia, and the small British breeding population is almost entirely confined to Shetland. The population is monitored by specical surveys: An estimate of 479 breeding pairs in 1989–94 was similar to a previous estimate for 1983–86 (Dore et al. 1996) although the most recent such survey estimated a population of 290+ breeding pairs suggesting a slight decline (Jackson 2009). However, the population remains higher than the estimate of c.150 pairs during 1968–72 (Sharrock 1976).

DISTRIBUTION

Whimbrels have a very restricted breeding distribution in Britain, with most of the population and 76% of the range confined to the Shetland Islands, the remainder being in Orkney, the Western Isles and Caithness. A small but growing number of Whimbrels winter in the UK, mostly at coastal sites, with a concentration along the south coasts of England and Ireland.

Occupied 10-km squares in UK

European Distribution Map

European Breeding Bird Atlas 2

DISTRIBUTION CHANGE

Since the 1980s there has been a large increase in wintering Whimbrels, with a 212% increase in the number of occupied 10-km squares in Britain & Ireland, probably as a result of milder winters.

Change in occupied 10-km squares in the UK

SEASONALITY

Aside from a few records in winter and a small northern breeding population, most Whimbrels are encountered during the narrow spring passage period, and in the slightly more protracted autumn migration period, the latter starting from early July.

Weekly occurence of Whimbrel from BirdTrack
Weekly occurrence patterns (shaded cells) and reporting rates (vertical bars) based on BirdTrack data. Reporting rates give the likelihood of encountering the species each week.

Movement

Information about movement and migration based on online bird portals (e.g. BirdTrack), Ringing schemes and tracking studies.

RINGING RECOVERIES

View a summary of recoveries in the Online Ringing Report.

Foreign locations of birds ringed or recovered in Britain & Ireland

Foreign locations of Whimbrel ringed or recovered in Britain & Ireland
Encountered in: Winter (Nov-Feb); Spring (Mar-Apr); Summer (May-Jul); Autumn (Aug-Oct)

Biology

Lifecycle and body size information about Whimbrel, including statistics on nesting, eggs and lifespan based on BTO ringing and nest recording data.

PRODUCTIVITY & NESTING

SURVIVAL & LONGEVITY

View number ringed each year in the Online Ringing Report

BIOMETRICS

Feather measurements and photos on featherbase

CODES & CLASSIFICATION

For information in another language (where available) click on a linked name

Gaelic: Eun-Bealltainn
Welsh: Coegylfinir
Catalan: polit cantaire
Czech: koliha malá
Danish: Småspove
Dutch: Regenwulp
Estonian: väikekoovitaja
Finnish: pikkukuovi
French: Courlis corlieu
German: Regenbrachvogel
Hungarian: kis póling
Icelandic: Spói
Irish: Crotach Eanaigh
Italian: Chiurlo piccolo
Latvian: lietuvainis
Lithuanian: vidutine kuolinga
Norwegian: Småspove
Polish: kulik mniejszy
Portuguese: maçarico-galego
Slovak: hvizdák malý
Slovenian: mali škurh
Spanish: Zarapito trinador
Swedish: småspov
Folkname: May bird, Tang Whaup, Seven-whistler

Research

Interpretation and scientific publications about Whimbrel from BTO scientists.

CAUSES AND SOLUTIONS

Causes of change

The drivers of changes in the Whimbrel population are unclear, but potential factors that may have affected breeding sites include afforestation, peat extraction, agricultural changes and climate change (Birds in Scotland).

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