Whimbrel

Description:

The whimbrel is a fairly large wader, mostly grayish brown, with a large curved bill.

Habitat:

Nests on tundra in the Arctic, but migrates from the Arctic tundra as far south as South America. There are four subspecies (North America, Iceland, southern Russia, and eastern Siberia.

Notes:

I found this bird next to the helipad on Garden Key, Grand Tortugas National Park, FL, USA. For some reason, the birds here are quite relaxed around people. This particular bird was wandering along the shoreline in the company of two other whimbrels and approached me as I was photographing other birds.