Whimbrel
Numenius phaeopus
Large, brown shorebird with long, decurved bill. Note bold head stripes. Occurs on mudflats, beaches, and coastal marshes. Often in flocks, sometimes mixed with other large shorebirds like Willet or godwits. Extensive global range, breeding on the Arctic tundra and wintering on coastlines as far south as Tierra del Fuego. Generally uncommon to rare inland. Most similar to Bristle-thighed Curlew, which overlaps locally in Alaska and the South Pacific. Whimbrel is colder brown and lacks the bright buffy rump of Bristle-thighed. Also compare with shorter-billed Little Curlew in Asia, and larger curlews like Long-billed, Eurasian, and Far Eastern. Listen for call, a series of short, shrill whistles.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Numenius phaeopus
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Scolopacidae
- Genus
- Numenius
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Long-tailed Parakeet
Psittacula longicauda
Medium-sized green parakeet with red cheeks and black stripes above the eye and below the cheek. Male is brighter-colored than the female, which has less extensive red on the cheeks and a black instead of red bill. Like other forest parakeets, usually encountered shooting past overhead while screaming raucously. Long filamentous tail feathers not always present.
Rufous-crowned Sparrow
Aimophila ruficeps
Fairly large grayish-brown sparrow of scrubby, arid hillsides. Look for rufous crown, rufous stripe behind eye, thin white eyering, and white mustache bordered by black. Otherwise plain grayish below with no streaks. Found on or near the ground, especially on dry slopes with scattered shrubs. Often heard before it is seen, so listen for its song, a descending jumble of husky notes. Also gives a nasal call, often in a rapid series. Compare with Oaxaca Sparrow in Mexico.
Ochre-headed Flycatcher
Myiagra cervinicauda
A small flycatcher. Male is glossy blue-black with a white belly and base of the undertail. Female has a gray head, a deep rufous throat and chest, and a cinnamon back and belly. Common in native forest up to 700 meters of elevation, less common in degraded habitats. Voice is a rasping, repeated “zhay-zhay-zhay.”
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