Whimbrel Facts
Whimbrel Facts
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| Interesting Whimbrel Facts: |
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| Whimbrel can reach 17 inches in length and 10.9 to 17.4 ounces of weight. Females are slightly larger than males. |
| Whimbrel is grayish-brown bird with white back and rump and black crown with white stripe in the middle. Lateral sides of the body are covered with pale stripes. Bottom parts of the body are light brown colored. |
| Whimbrel has large body, elongated neck and long bill that is pink colored at the base. It has long, bluish-grey legs and feet. |
| Long, down-curved bill is designed for the extraction of animals burrowed in the mud. Whimbrel is also known as "elephant birds" in some parts of the world thanks to unusual shape of the bill. |
| Whimbrel is an omnivore (it eats plants and meat). Its diet is based on crabs (and other crustaceans), mollusks, fish, insects, seed, fruit and leaves. Plants are usually on the menu during the summer. |
| Whimbrel migrates in large flocks during the autumn. Some populations of whimbrels fly 2.500 miles before they finally reach their wintering grounds. Group of whimbrel is known as bind, contradiction or fling. |
| Whimbrel produces rippling, whistling, fluty calls and whinnying trills during the flight. Loud harsh calls are used as alarm calls to alert other birds on potential predators. |
| Natural enemies of whimbrels are foxes and large birds of prey. |
| Whimbrels are territorial most time of the year. |
| Mating season of whimbrels takes place from May to August. Whimbrels breed in the subarctic tundra and open, boggy areas near the Arctic. |
| Males perform circling flight and produce prolong, bubbling songs during the courtship. |
| Female lays 2 to 5 (usually 4) eggs in a depression in the ground lined with grass. Eggs are sometimes laid on top of the mound of moss that is surrounded with water. |
| Both parents take part in the incubation of eggs which lasts 22 to 28 days. Chicks are covered with feathers at birth. They are ready to leave the nest few hours after hatching. |
| Whimbrels aggressively defend their chicks from all predators that can be seen near the nest (including humans). Chicks depend on their parents until they reach the age of 35 to 40 days. |
| Whimbrels can survive more than 20 years in the wild, but they rarely live more than 11 years. |
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