Whimbrel
Whimbrel has surged: up 289% on the route-weighted index since 1985.
About the Whimbrel
The Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus) is a North American member of the Sandpipers & Allies (Scolopacidae). In this analysis it is grouped with the shorebirds.
- Size
- 5–26 in long (13–66 cm) — a probing shorebird (typical for the family)
- Habitat
- Shorelines, mudflats, beaches, flooded fields and wet meadows.
- Diet
- Invertebrates probed or picked from mud, sand and shallow water.
- Range
- Recorded on 27 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 1 state, most concentrated in the BCR 4.
- Family
- Scolopacidae · Shorebirds
Notable Whimbrel Trends
No notable trend signals for Whimbrel. See the full index history below.
Whimbrel Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Whimbrel is projected to stay roughly flat through 2029, near 0.01 (95% range 0.00–0.02). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±68.9%, with 80% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.01 | 0.00 | 0.02 |
| 2026 | 0.01 | 0.00 | 0.02 |
| 2027 | 0.01 | 0.00 | 0.02 |
| 2028 | 0.01 | 0.00 | 0.02 |
| 2029 | 0.01 | 0.00 | 0.02 |
Where the Whimbrel Is Detected
BBS routes recording Whimbrel, sized by most recent count.
Whimbrel Population Trend by State
| Alaska | +66% | 1985 | 27 |
Whimbrel Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| BCR 2 | -30% | 1993 | 11 |
| BCR 3 | -53% | 1997 | 3 |
| BCR 4 | -74% | 1985 | 12 |
Whimbrel Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index shows it up about 289% since 1985. Many shorebirds have declined steeply, reflecting pressure on the coastal and wetland stopovers they depend on.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.