Slender-billed Curlew vs Whimbrel

Numenius tenuirostris compared with Numenius phaeopus

Key Differences

• Slender-billed Curlew is Critically Endangered while Whimbrel is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Slender-billed Curlew	Whimbrel
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Aves (Birds)	Aves (Birds)
Order same	Charadriiformes (Charadriiformes)	Charadriiformes (Charadriiformes)
Family same	Scolopacidae	Scolopacidae
Genus same	Numenius	Numenius
Species	Numenius tenuirostris	Numenius phaeopus

Evolutionary Relationship

Slender-billed Curlew and Whimbrel share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Numenius.

Conservation Status

Slender-billed Curlew

CR — Critically Endangered

Whimbrel

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Slender-billed Curlew	Whimbrel
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Slender-billed Curlew

Habitat

Inhabits temperate broadleaf and mixed forests and temperate coniferous forests within the Palearctic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Norway and Ukraine. Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Whimbrel

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (6 countries), North America (United States), and South America (Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela).

Whimbrel

Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus) is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List. Widespread and abundant across its range, with stable populations and no immediate conservation concerns.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 2 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway 🇺🇦 Ukraine