Description:

Medium-sized curlew with mid-sized curved bill. Juvenile same as adult. Smaller than Eurasian Curlew, with shorter bill, often with more marked downward kink. Has prominent whitish supercilium and crown-stripe, contrasting with blackish eye-stripe and sides to crown, resulting in more striking head pattern.

Distribution:

Rare passage migrant through the north-western parts of Gilgit-Baltistan, very rare in Baltistan and Astore. Usually found near wetlands; including marshes, lakes, river banks, bogs and grasslands. From lowlands up to 3000m during passage migration.

Behavior:

Usually feeds more by pecking than by probing, especially when foraging inland; feeds on crabs by probing in burrows and breaking off limbs prior to consuming them. Generally forages in small groups or singly. Diet includes insects, spiders, millipedes, earthworms, snails and slugs; on arrival at breeding grounds, also berries; on migration, also seeds and leaves.

Photo Gallery:

Range & Occurrence:

Resident Species

Summer Breeder

Winter Visitor

Passage Migrant

Distribution Map of Whimbrel in Gilgit-Baltistan (Status: )

Seasonal Occurrence of Whimbrel

Resources:

Birds of Pakistan: Helm Field Guides (R. Grimmett & T. Inskipp)
The Birds of Pakistan (T. J. Roberts)
Birds of the Indian Subcontinent (C. Inskipp, R. Grimmett & T. Inskipp)
Birds of South Asia: The Ripley Guide (P. Rasmussen & J. Anderton)
Birds of India: Collins Field Guide (N. Arlott)
Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan (S. Ali & S. D. Ripley)
Handbook of the Birds of the World (https://www.hbw.com)
The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World, 6th Edition
iNaturalist BoGB (inaturalist.org/projects/birds-of-gilgit-baltistan)
Birds of Gilgit-Baltistan (http://fb.me/birdsgb)

*Gallery images on this page are shared from flickr.com, and are copyrighted to their respective creators or owners.