Whimbrel

Numenius phaeopus

Whimbrels are found in the Americas and in Eurasia. The American birds are more buff or tan colored than their grayer cousins in Eurasia. In the Western Hemisphere these birds nest in Alaska, North Western Canada and on the Western edges of Hudson Bay. Winters are spent on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of North and South America.

Most shorebirds have a well-defined alternate (breeding) plumage and a basic (non-breeding) plumage. The curlew genus birds like the Whimbrel have only subtle differences between seasons.