Kauaʻi record · kba_bird_whimbrel
Whimbrel
Numenius phaeopus
Open this record in the interactive Atlas
About Whimbrel
Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus) is recorded as a migrant or nonbreeding visitor on Kauaʻi in the Bishop Museum's 2017 island checklist. This is a documented island occurrence, not a claim of an individual sighting in 2026.
Kauaʻi evidence
Bishop Museum island checklist (version 2, 2017) lists Kauaʻi status M: migrant or nonbreeding visitor. See original island table. A Hawaiʻi-level record is available, but the species needs a documented Kauaʻi observation before local ecological conclusions are drawn.
Occurrence evidence
bishop_island_checklist_2017
Names and classification
- Scientific name
- Numenius phaeopus
- Common names
- Whimbrel
- Family
- Scolopacidae
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Record type
- Species
Kauaʻi occurrence and status
- Kauaʻi occurrence
- Kauaʻi documented: migrant or nonbreeding visitor (2017 island checklist)
- Origin
- Indigenous visitor
- Conservation status
- Not assessed
- Evidence date
- 2026-09-13
- Evidence limits
- Island occurrence supported by the 2017 checklist; abundance and current year presence are not established here
Habitat and ecology
- Habitats
- Wetlands · Mudflats · Shorelines · Coastal habitat
- Food and resource needs
- Food and resources may include intertidal, mudflat, wetland, turf, or freshwater invertebrates, with seeds or plant matter included for rail/coot-type records
- Reproduction
- Breeding on Kauaʻi is not established; seasonal resting and foraging habitat may be relevant.
- Shelter
- Shelter and structure within wetlands, mudflats, shorelines.
Threats and conservation
- Threats
- Misidentification with Bristle-thighed Curlew and other Numenius records
- Conservation actions
- Require photo and place documentation before Kauai ecological placement
- Monitoring
- Document date, place, observer, habitat, behavior, and supporting media for any Kauaʻi observation.
- Data gaps
- Update island status with dated contemporary records · Specific Kauaʻi habitat and abundance need local evidence
Process and seasonal context
- Seasonal timing
- Occasional Nonbreeding Visitor Watchlist
- Seasonal description
- Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus) is recorded as a migrant or nonbreeding visitor on Kauaʻi in the Bishop Museum's 2017 island checklist. This is a documented island occurrence, not a claim of an individual sighting in 2026.