whimbrel

[ hwim-bruhl, wim- ]

noun

1. a curlew, Numenius phaeopus, of both the New and Old Worlds.

whimbrel

/ ˈwɪmbrəl /

noun

1. a small European curlew, Numenius phaeopus, with a striped head

Word History and Origins

Origin of whimbrel¹

1520–30; whim (perhaps imitative) + intrusive -b- + -rel

Word History and Origins

Origin of whimbrel¹

C16: from dialect whimp or from whimper , alluding to its cry

Example Sentences

Another shorebird, the whimbrel, also makes a phenomenally long journey over the ocean.

From Salon

“I’ve got both common and Pacific loon, eared grebe, Forster’s tern and a whimbrel,” Bell said, peering through a spotting scope at the White Point Nature Center, a patch of coastal highlands with panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean, just north of the Port of Los Angeles’ sprawling industrial empire of 400-foot-tall cranes, big rigs and container ships from around the world.

From Los Angeles Times

And it did: Gone were the whimbrel and the white-rumped sandpiper the team had scouted earlier.

From Washington Post

In August 2011, the researchers marveled at the derring-do of a whimbrel named Hope as it encountered Tropical Storm Gert off the coast of Nova Scotia, diving straight into the tempest at 7 miles per hour and emerging from the other side at a pace of 90 m.p.h.

From New York Times

Some birds are especially adept: Scientists at the College of William & Mary Center for Conservation Biology tracked a migratory shorebird, a whimbrel, as it flew through Hurricane Irene in 2011.

From Scientific American