What does a Whimbrel bird look like?

What does a whimbrel fish look like?

Mostly brownish above, with pale feather edges, tan below, with neat dark stippling. The crown is dark brown with a pale central stripe, and most show a narrow dark eyeline. Whimbrels probe with their long bills into mudflats or wet sand for invertebrates such as crabs, walking slowly through areas where water is very shallow.

What is the difference between a whimbrel and curlew?

Whimbrels are large shorebirds with long, decurved bills. They are smaller in size than the similar-looking Long-billed Curlew, and their bills are shorter. The Whimbrel has a distinct head pattern, with dark-and-light alternating stripes.

What are whimbrels?

Whimbrels May be the bird you’re seeing! The Irish spring is characterised by some birds leaving for their breeding grounds, having spent six months wintering here, and other birds arriving here to breed, having spent the preceding months in southern Europe, Africa and beyond.

What looks like a curlew but isn’t?

So what looks like a Curlew, sounds like a Curlew, acts like a Curlew but isn’t a Curlew? The Whimbrel is a close relative of the Curlew, both being from the Numenius genus which contains nine ‘Curlew/Whimbrel’ species, two of which are extinct.

What does the Crown of a whimbrel look like?

The crown is dark brown with a pale central stripe, and most show a narrow dark eyeline. Whimbrels probe with their long bills into mudflats or wet sand for invertebrates such as crabs, walking slowly through areas where water is very shallow.

What type of bird is a whimbrel?

The whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus) is a wader in the large family Scolopacidae. It is one of the most widespread of the curlews, breeding across much of subarctic North America, Asia and Europe as far south as Scotland.

What is the difference between a curlew and a whimbrel?

The whimbrel, another curlew species that share the range with the Eurasian curlew, closely resembles the bird in appearance. However, the whimbrel has a smaller size and a bill that is shorter with a kink, features that distinguish it from the Eurasian curlew.

What does a young Bush stone-curlew look like?

Young Bush Stone-curlews are similar in appearance to the adults, but are paler, and a little browner in colour. Bush Stone-curlews are nocturnal birds (night birds), doing all their feeding and other activities at night. The Bush Stone-curlew is quite an unusual looking bird, and unlike any other bird found in Australia.

Do whimbrels nest in loose colonies?

Fiddler Crabs are an important food during winter, and the shape of the Whimbrel’s bill matches the curve of the crab’s burrow. These monogamous birds nest in loose colonies, but remain territorial during the nesting season. Males use dramatic flight displays and songs to attract females.

What is the scientific name of the whimbrel?

Scientific name: Numenius phaeopus. The Whimbrel is very similar to the Curlew, but a little smaller and with a striking face pattern. Its eerie call is a series of seven whistles; listen out for it around the coast as its passes through on migration.

What is the difference between a curlew and a bill?

Bill: Bill is shorter than curlew and more abruptly bent at tip. Plumage: Darker than curlew, with darker chest and some barring on flanks. Also confusable with bar-tailed godwits at a distance, but has a shorter neck.

What is the difference between curlew’s and whimbrels?

Whimbrels have a down-curved bill, but it is much shorter than the Curlew’s. The definitive mark is the streaked head, with a dark line through the eye and down each side of the head.

How do I identify a whimbrel?

Lastly, a good ID feature is the head pattern – Whimbrel have a (mostly) dark crown, a light stripe above the eye (the ‘supercillium’) and a dark stripe running through the eye. There are other, more subtle plumage details too – but if you can get a decent look at the bill or the patterns on the head you’ll be able to clinch the identification!

Do bush stone curlew lay eggs?

I’ve had a Bush Stone Curlew nesting 2 eggs in my back yard in Townsville. The parents take turns nesting but mainly the mother nests the eggs.

What is the lifespan of a bush curlew?

The Bush Stone-curlew or Bush Thick-knee (Burhinus grallarius) is a large ground- dwelling bird with a wingspan of 55-60 cm. They can live for 20 years, sometimes more. They are a terrestrial predator adapted to stalking and running.

How do bush stone-curlews hide their young?

Bush Stone-curlews are masters of camouflage, which they use to hide themselves, their nests and their young from potential predators. An adult curlew on a nest.

How do whimbrels interact with their neighbors?

They nest in loose associations of a few pairs, and neighbors tend to tolerate the presence of other neighbors that cross their territories; however, both male and female of a pair will drive out other Whimbrels by threat displays, with raised wings and brisk running, or with rapid aerial pursuit and whining calls.

Are whimbrels monogamous?

Whimbrels are monogamous during the nesting season and often return to the same area to nest with the same mate in successive seasons.

What is a Eurasian whimbrel?

The Eurasian whimbrel ( Numenius phaeopus) is a wader in the large family Scolopacidae. It is one of the most widespread of the curlews, breeding across much of subarctic Asia and Europe as far south as Scotland.

What is the scientific name for a whimbrel?

Numenius, the genus assigned to Whimbrel, means “new moon” in Greek, a reference to the bird’s bill shape, which resembles a crescent moon. Hope was the name given to a female Whimbrel captured on the coast of Virginia in 2009 and fitted with a satellite transmitter.

Where can I see whimbrels in the UK?

Whimbrels can be seen in the UK from April to September on their breeding grounds in northern Scotland, particularly Shetland or Orkney where their breeding population has been slowly increasing. On passage migrant to and from their wintering grounds in Africa they can be found on the coast and sometimes inland.

How many eggs does a bush stone curlew lay?

The female bush stone-curlew usually lays 2 eggs in a nest on the ground where they are incubated for 28 days. Listen for its loud, eerie wailing after dark. (MP3, 147KB)

What does the bush stone curlew look like?

The Bush stone-curlew is an unusual looking bird, unlike any other Australian bird. It is mainly nocturnal, a large, slim, ground-dwelling bird with long gangly legs, big yellow eyes, and gray streaked upper parts.

Where do whimbrels live in the UK?

In the British Isles, the whimbrel breeds only in northern Scotland. Otherwise, it is a regular spring and autumn passage migrant, occurring in varying numbers. It is usually seen in small or smallish flocks along most coasts and at inland reservoirs. Size: Our biggest wader – bigger than an oystercatcher.