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The Whimbrel, Numenius phaeopus, is a wader in the large family Scolopacidae. It is the one of the most widespread of the curlews, breeding across much of subarctic North America, Europe and Asia.

This is a migratory species wintering on coasts in AfricaAfrica is the world's second-largest continent in both area and population, after Asia. 30,244,050 km2 (11,677,240 mi2) including the islands, it covers 20. 3% of the total land area on Earth, and with over 800 million human inhabitants it accounts for ar, South AmericaSouth America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. South America is situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean. It became attached to North America only recently, geologically speaking, wi, south Asia into AustralasiaAustralasia is the area that includes Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea, and the many smaller islands in the vicinity, most of which are the eastern part of Indonesia. The name was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres austr and southern North America. It is fairly gregarious outside the breeding season.

This is a large wader at 37-45 cm length. It is mainly greyish brown, with a white back (European race N. p. phaeopus only), and a long curved bill (longest in the adult female) with a kink rather than a smooth curve. It is generally wary. The familiar call is a rippling whistle.

The only similar common species over most of this bird's range are larger curlews. Whimbrel is smaller, has a shorter bill and has a central crown stripe and strong supercilia.

This species feeds by probing soft mud for small invertebrates and by picking small crabCrabs are various species of decapods. They are crustaceans with five pairs of legs, the first pair modified to form a pair of pincers, a flattish shell, and a short, broad abdomen folded under its thorax. There are two main groups of crabs: the Brachyuras and similar prey off the surface. Prior to migration, berries become an important part of their diet.

The nest is a bare scrape on tundra or arctic moorland. 3-5 eggs are laid. Adults are very defensive of nesting area and will even attack humans who come too close.

Near the end of the 19th centuryAlternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical ( 18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801- 1900. Events The Little Ice Age ended, hunting on their migration routes took a heavy toll on this bird's numbers; the population has since recovered.