Tweet of the Day - Whimbrel

Whimbrel

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Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about British birds inspired by their calls and songs.

David Attenborough presents the story of the whimbrel. Whimbrels are sometimes known as 'seven whistlers' from the number of notes in their call and in parts of the English midlands these sounds in the darkness gave rise to a folk tale about the six birds of fate which flew around the heavens seeking the seventh. When they were all reunited, went the story, the world would end. Mercifully, it wasn't true but it was our ancestor's way of interpreting the mystery of nocturnal migration.

Published on Thursday, 8th May 2014.

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