BREEDS: n Eurasia & n North America: WINTERS: south to s Asia, Africa, Australia & South America
Habitat:
Tundra, moor, heath, on migration marsh & estuary
Diet:
Invertebrates and plant material according to availability; rarely probes deeply
TitBit:
The Whimbrel's distictive call is often associated with a Celtic superstition of the 'seven-whistlers', supposedly a group of six birds looking for a seventh - hearing the call augured death or other disaster
Population and Distribution
Population Trend:
No population trend available
Distribution:
No distribution maps available
British Population Size:
Summer:
530 pairs
in 1989-92
Passage:
3000 individuals
First Record:
7th Century
[Fossil evidence from
Devensian (last) glaciation, 10-120,000 yr ago]
Habitat Occupancy (in the Breeding Season):
No habitat data from BBS
European Population Size:
Summer:
154 to 330 thousand pairs
Population Assesment from Birds in Europe
Distribution in Europe
Listed on the Appendices/Schedules of:
WCA(I), WBD(II*), Bern(III), Bonn(II), AEWA
Survey Results:
BirdTrack
Satellite Tracking
Breeding and Survival
Egg Size:
58 x 41 mm
Egg Weight:
50.0 g (of which 5 % is shell)
Number of Nest Records:
0
Clutch Size:
4 eggs
Incubation:
27 - 28 days
by the:
Male + Female
Fledging:
35 - 40 days
as:
Precocial, downy
First Clutches Laid:
Unavailable
Number of Broods:
1
Number Ringed:
31
Adult Survival:
0.89
Juvenile Survival:
No data
Age at First Breeding:
2
years
Typical Lifespan:
11
years
Maximum Recorded Age:
16yr1m
Biometrics
Ring Size:
E
Wing Length
Adult:
253.7 ± 8.6
Range
241 - 268 mm, N =63
Juvenile:
243.6 ± 7.5
230.5 - 255 mm, N =20
Male:
Insufficient Data
Female:
Insufficient Data
Weight
Adult:
451.0 ± 60.93
Range
355.0 - 522.0 g , N =48
Juvenile:
Insufficient Data.
Male:
Insufficient Data
Female:
Insufficient Data
Source:
British Trust for Ornithology (2005) Ringing Scheme data
Other Names
Gaelic:
Eun-Bealltainn
Welsh:
Coegylfinir
Danish:
Lille regnspove
Dutch:
Regenwulp
Finnish:
Pikkukuovi
French:
Courlis corlieu
German:
Regenbrachvogel
Hungarian:
Kis póling
Icelandic:
Spói
Irish:
Crotach Eanaigh
Italian:
Chiurlo piccolo
Norwegian:
Småspove
Polish:
Kulik mniejszy
Portuguese:
Maçarico-galego
Spanish:
Zarapito trinador
Swedish:
Småspov
Local Names: May bird, Tang Whaup, Seven-whistler
For More Information...
Books and Monographs:
Nethersole-Thompson, D. & M. 1986 Waders, their breeding, haunts and watchers Poyser, London
[598.6 NET]
See Also:
All About Birds (Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
Gough, G.A. et al. (1998) Patuxent Bird Identification Infocenter
Wikipedia entry
State of the Nations Birds by Chris Mead
Recent sightings and information from BirdGuides.com
These data should be cited as: Robinson, R.A. (2005) BirdFacts: profiles of birds occurring in Britain & Ireland (v1.22, Oct 2008). BTO Research Report 407, BTO, Thetford (http://www.bto.org/birdfacts)
button; for sources point at the 
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Other Names
