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Whimbrel in Kathmandu (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Arend
- Start date
SteveClifton
Well-known member
Yes a Whimbrel :t:
Nutcracker
Stop Brexit!
No - that has an even shorter bill, and also a dark rump; the white rump of 'ordinary' Whimbrel is visible in the 2nd pic.
Andy Adcock
Worst person on Birdforum
The bill looks good for LW IMHO, that would be a very small bill for a regular Whimbrel and I'm not sure you can see the rump in that shot, just undertail?
Jeff Hopkins
Just another...observer
Wouldn't a Little Whimbrel have darker wing-tips?
Larry Sweetland
Formerly 'Larry Wheatland'
I think white underwing coverts excludes Little Curlew
Andy Adcock
Worst person on Birdforum
Still a very small bill for a regular Whimbrel.
Foxy
Well-known member
It might do if they were white but they look decidedly grey, certainly not white. Plus the strong anterior eye-stripe favours Little
Jean FRANCOIS
Well-known member
Jizz is not that of a Little.
Whimbrel for me.
Jean
Whimbrel for me.
Jean
SteveClifton
Well-known member
From Nils Van Duivendijk's Advanced Bird ID Guide (for Little Curlew) all of which are at odds with the subject bird:
Dark spot on lores, directly before eye (no loral-stripe) In pic 1 there is a strongly marked eye stripe running through the lores. Same in the second pic too.
Large conspicuous eye, obviously due to pale lores (I'm not seeing this)
Orange basal half of lower mandible (I can't see it. In pic 1 it might be slightly paler, but not obviously orange)
All plumages: Uniform dark flight feathers (in pic 2 the subject bird has heavy barring on the flight feathers extending well onto the inner primaries)
Re the latter, this Little Curlew has some barring on the inner secondaries, but it barely extends onto the primaries (second bird down) http://birds-in-flight.net/?p=10529
Finally, I'm not seeing the obvious buff wash on the flanks and underwing coverts, which is a Little Curlew feature. Except for the barring, this bird has very clean, white underwing coverts with just a slight hint of buff on the upper flanks. Also, agree with Jean the jizz is all wrong for Little.
Dark spot on lores, directly before eye (no loral-stripe) In pic 1 there is a strongly marked eye stripe running through the lores. Same in the second pic too.
Large conspicuous eye, obviously due to pale lores (I'm not seeing this)
Orange basal half of lower mandible (I can't see it. In pic 1 it might be slightly paler, but not obviously orange)
All plumages: Uniform dark flight feathers (in pic 2 the subject bird has heavy barring on the flight feathers extending well onto the inner primaries)
Re the latter, this Little Curlew has some barring on the inner secondaries, but it barely extends onto the primaries (second bird down) http://birds-in-flight.net/?p=10529
Finally, I'm not seeing the obvious buff wash on the flanks and underwing coverts, which is a Little Curlew feature. Except for the barring, this bird has very clean, white underwing coverts with just a slight hint of buff on the upper flanks. Also, agree with Jean the jizz is all wrong for Little.
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Foxy
Well-known member
The wingtips look dark to me and pretty plain: wouldn't Whimbrel show white notches on the flight feathers?
johnallcock
Well-known member
It's definitely not a Little Whimbrel/Curlew. The underparts and underwing are too white, the bill is too large, the head pattern (especially eyestripe) too well-marked, wings too short/broad, tail too short. Also, I think that would be even rarer in Kathmandu than a (Eurasian) Whimbrel.
Young curlew and whimbrel often migrate when their bills are not fully grown
https://ornithologi.com/2016/09/11/juvenile-whimbrel-numenius-phaeopus-in-flight/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/20birds08/14998635000
Young curlew and whimbrel often migrate when their bills are not fully grown
https://ornithologi.com/2016/09/11/juvenile-whimbrel-numenius-phaeopus-in-flight/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/20birds08/14998635000
