Bird Guide

Hudsonian Whimbrel vs Little Curlew

Hudsonian Whimbrel (Numenius hudsonicus)

Hudsonian Whimbrel

Numenius hudsonicus

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. 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; 0.595–1.087 lb) in weight.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Hudsonian Whimbrel
Recorded by Doug Hynes · Call · "the Fen", near Churchill Northern Studies Centre, Manitoba, Canada · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Bernard Gagnon · CC0
Little Curlew (Numenius minutus)

Little Curlew

Numenius minutus

Medium173 gGrassland

It is mainly greyish-brown, including the underwings, with a white belly, and a short, for a curlew, curved bill. It has a head pattern like a Eurasian whimbrel, with crown and superciliary stripes. The call is a repetitive whistle. It is the smallest species of curlew with an average length of 28–31 cm (11–12 in), an average wingspan of 68–71 cm (27–28 in) and an average weight of 175 grams (6.2 oz).

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Little Curlew
Recorded by Jochem Verweij · Flight call · Ögiy, O'giinuur, Arkhangai, Mongolia · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Wayne Cheng · CC BY 2.0

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Hudsonian Whimbrel and Little Curlew.