2025 split

Whimbrel split: Hudsonian and Eurasian

In 2025 eBird split Whimbrel in two. The Whimbrel of the Americas is now Hudsonian Whimbrel; the Old World bird is Eurasian Whimbrel.

Updated

A Whimbrel, a tall brown shorebird with a long down-curved bill, striding through grass on a sandy shore
A Whimbrel of the Americas, now Hudsonian Whimbrel, painted by John James Audubon. John James Audubon, The Birds of America (1827–38)

What changed

WasWhimbrel Numenius phaeopus
NowHudsonian Whimbrel Numenius hudsonicus

The Whimbrel of the Americas. It nests in Alaska and northern Canada.

NowEurasian Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus

The Whimbrel of Europe, Africa and Asia. In North America it turns up regularly only around the Bering Sea; it is rare in Atlantic Canada and the Northeast, and very rare in Hawaii.

Who decided, and when

  • AviList, the shared world checklist: agrees, with the same names
  • eBird and the Clements Checklist: its 2025 taxonomy update
  • American Birding Association (ABA): added both to the ABA Checklist

Which one did you see?

Go by continent. A Whimbrel seen in the Americas is almost always Hudsonian Whimbrel.

If you get a good look as it flies off: Hudsonian has a dark brown rump, and Eurasian a white one.

What it does to your list

For most birders it's a new name only: your Whimbrel is now Hudsonian Whimbrel.

If you have also seen a Whimbrel in Europe, Africa or Asia, or a rare Eurasian Whimbrel in North America, your total goes up by one.

Check your own list. Drop your eBird download or type your birds: the free checker shows which of them this and other recent changes touched.

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