Whimbrel
Latin Name: Numenius phaeopus
Species: Birds
Conservation Status: S2 - Imperiled
Whimbrels are large shorebirds with a long, curved bill, a long body and neck, and a short tail. Their head has a dark brown crown with a pale central stripe and a narrow dark eye line. Whimbrels are brownish above with pale feather edges and tan below. Their wings are long and pointed. Whimbrels reach lengths of 16-18 inches, weigh 10-14 ounces, and have wingspans of 31-32 inches.
Range & Habitat (map)
Whimbrels are long distant migrants, with nesting areas in the artic tundra and wintering grounds as far south as Bolivia. They live on mudflats, beaches, and open tundra.
Diet
Whimbrels feed on marine invertebrates and are visual hunters. Whimbrels will first locate the entrance to a fiddler crab burrow in the mud and then extract the crab using their long bills. Before consuming the fiddler crab, the whimbrel will rinse the mud off and remove the large claw. Whimbrels also consume other crabs, crayfish, small fish, marine worms, sea cucumbers, sand shrimp, and snails. In breeding grounds, whimbrels will consume cranberries, blueberries, bearberries, and crowberries. Year-round, they will eat spiders, flies, beetles, and grasshoppers.
Life History
Whimbrels spend their winters on tidal mudflats and sandflats. They are seen foraging in salt marshes, lagoons, estuaries, reefs, mangrove swamps, and on rocky shorelines. When they are not feeding, whimbrels will roost in marshes, meadows, fields, dunes, oyster beds, small islands, and mangrove trees. Whimbrel nests are made on raised sites, such as hammocks or small ridges. Their nests are bowls that are pressed into the ground. The nests are lined with leaves from surrounding vegetation. The nests are typically 5.6 inches across and 1.5 inches deep. Whimbrels will lay 2-4 eggs and will have 1 brood a year. The eggs are incubated for 22-28 days. Chicks will leave the nest within 1-2 hours. Whimbrels often return to the same nest with the same mate year after year.
Significance
Shorebirds like whimbrels are exciting finds for recreational birders in the Port Royal Sound area, and inspire important protection measures for our beaches. It was recently discovered the Deveaux Bank, a sandbar island near Charleston, is a critical stopping point for these birds at they migrate from South America to the Arctic. Scientists estimate that approximately half of the whimbrel on the Atlantic coast spend their days foraging elsewhere and then gather on Deveaux Bank to roost at night.
Threats & How You Can Help
During the early 20th century, whimbrels were heavily hunted in North America for food. Today, they are still hunted in parts of South America and the Caribbean but are protected in the U.S. under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Other threats to whimbrels include the destruction or modification of coastal wetland habitats, environmental contaminations, and sea level rise. When spending time on beaches or in marshes where shorebirds may be feeding or nesting, it is important to keep dogs on a leash and stay off of sand dunes to ensure that birds and their nests are not disturbed.
Additional Resources
https://www.fws.gov/law/migratory-bird-treaty-act-1918 https://youtu.be/KSr6V3VDgFo?feature=shared