Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus), Willcox Big Pond, Cochise County

These two Whimbrels were found by Clive Green and Mary Jean Hage at Willcox on 5 June 2008 and remained through the 6th.  They were photographed by Mary Jean Hage on 05 June 2008.  Whimbrel is a casual migrant in Arizona away from the lower Colorado and Gila rivers. In southeast Arizona, most records are from May.

Also in this amazing picture are two other species that are casual at this time of year in Southeastern Arizona, White Pelican and California Gull, although neither is as rare as Whimbrel. 

In Arizona, Whimbrel is most likely to be confused with the much more common Long-billed Curlew.  This is especially true of very young Long-billed Curlews which have shorter, straighter bills than adults.  Overall, Whimbrel is smaller, darker, browner, shorter necked and more attenuated than Long-billed Curlew.  Long-billed Curlew has a plain head whereas Whimbrel has a brown and tan stripes on its head which can be seen especially in the enlarged pictures below.  The calls are also very different. 

Whimbrel is an ABC Sketch Details species.  Submitting photos to AZFO does not constitute reporting a rare bird for consideration as an official record. To ensure that a record becomes official, details or photos of Sketch Details Species should be sent to the Editors of North American Birds and a full report of Review Species should be submitted to the Arizona Bird Committee. Most rare birds are under _documented and subsequent observers of a rarity are always encouraged to submit reports and additional photos, especially for birds that are challenging to identify.

Original photograph:

 

Enlargement of the center of the above picture:

05 June 2008, photos by Mary Jean Hage