EURASIAN WHIMBREL (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Env and Eco)

Context: First the time, a long-distance migratory bird, the Eurasian or common whimbrel, tagged with a Global Positioning System (GPS) transmitter was captured on camera in the state of Chhattisgarh.

Eurasian Whimbrel

• About: it 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.
• Scientific Name: Numenius phaeopus
• Distribution: Antarctica, Europe, North America, Asia, South America, Africa.
• Habitat: Winters mainly along the coastline, coastal wetlands, mangroves, marshes and larger rivers.
• Range: Breeding in the sub-Arctic region of Asia and Europe.  Winters in Africa, south Asia and into Australasia.
• Characteristics: It is mainly greyish brown, with a white back and rump (subspecies N. p. phaeopus and N. p. alboaxillaris only), and a long curved beak with a kink rather than a smooth curve.
• Conservation IUCN Status: Least Concern