Eurasian Whimbrel

The Eurasian whimbrel is a fairly large wader but a mid-sized curlew, 37–47cm long with a wingspan of 75–90cm and a weight of 270–493g. It is mainly greyish brown, and in two subspecies has a white back and rump. Its long, down-curved bill has a distinct kink rather than a smooth curve. The usual call is a rippling whistle, drawn out into a trill as song, and the English name imitates it. It was split from the Hudsonian whimbrel of the Americas in 2019, though some authorities still treat them as one species (Wikipedia, general species account).

It breeds on tundra and Arctic moorland across the subarctic Palearctic, laying three to five eggs in a bare scrape, and a sitting female will lure intruders away. It winters on coasts in Africa, South Asia and Australasia and is fairly gregarious outside the breeding season. It probes soft mud for small invertebrates and picks small crabs from the surface, and eats berries before migrating. In India it is a winter migrant. SoIB 2023 estimates a long-term decline of about 72% and rates it a Moderate conservation priority (Wikipedia, general species account; SoIB 2023).