Hudsonian Whimbrel
Numenius hudsonicus
A Whimbrel's bill is perfectly curved to match the shape of the burrows made by fiddler crabs, their favorite prey.
- Scientific name
- Numenius hudsonicus
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Charadriiformes › Scolopacidae › Numenius
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- decreasing
- Biome
- wetland
- Habitat
- Arctic tundra for breeding; coastal mudflats, mangroves, and salt marshes during migration and wintering.
- Diet
- Mainly crabs (fiddler crabs), marine invertebrates, insects, and berries during the summer.
- Range
- North American Arctic, Caribbean Coasts, South American Coasts, Atlantic and Pacific Seaboards
- Size
- 37-47 cm length, 76-89 cm wingspan
- Lifespan
- 10-15 years
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Loss of coastal stopover habitat, climate change impacting Arctic nesting grounds, and hunting in certain migration corridors.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless. Observe from a distance with binoculars to avoid flushing the bird, which wastes its vital energy reserves. If you encounter a nesting bird on the tundra, keep a wide berth to prevent nest abandonment. No medical risk to humans.
The Hudsonian whimbrel or Hudsonian curlew ( Numenius hudsonicus ) 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. This species and the Eurasian whimbrel have recently been split, based on genetic and noticeable morphological differences.
Photo: Agustina Medina, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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