Whimbrel

Description

This is a fairly large wader though mid-sized as a member of the curlew genus.The English name is imitative of the bird's call.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 species name phaeopus is the Medieval Latin name for the bird,from Ancient Greek phaios,"dusky" and pous,"foot" It is 37–47 cm (15–19 in) in length,75–90 cm (30–35 in) in wingspan,and 270–493 g (9.5–17.4 oz) in weight.It is mainly greyish brown,with a white back and rump (subspecies N.p.phaeopus and N.p.alboaxillaris only),and a long curved bill (longest in the adult female) with a kink rather than a smooth curve.It is generally wary.The usual call is a rippling whistle,prolonged into a trill for the song.The only similar common species over most of this bird's range are larger curlews.The whimbrel is smaller,has a shorter,decurved bill and has a central crown stripe and strong supercilia.