American Woodcock Identification

The Four Keys to ID

• Size & Shape

  American Woodcocks are plump, short-legged shorebirds with very long, straight bills. Their large heads, short necks, and short tails give them a bulbous look on the ground and in flight. The wings are broad and rounded compared to most other shorebirds.

  Relative Size

  Bigger and plumper than a Killdeer; slightly smaller than a Rock Pigeon.

  robin-sized

  Measurements

  • Both Sexes
  • • Length: 9.8-12.2 in (25-31 cm)
    • Weight: 4.1-9.8 oz (116-279 g)
    • Wingspan: 16.5-18.9 in (42-48 cm)

  © Mark Olivier / Macaulay Library

• Color Pattern

  They are well camouflaged in light brown, black, buff, and gray-brown tones. The face is buffy, the crown blackish. They are light gray across the neck and back, with dark-and-light patterned shoulders and brown wings. The underparts are buffy to almost orange.

• Behavior

  American Woodcock spend most of their time hidden in fields and on the forest floor, where they probe for earthworms. They often rock back and forth while walking along the ground. On spring nights, males perform very conspicuous displays, giving a buzzy peent call, then launching into the air. Their erratic display flight includes a distinctive, twittering flight sound and ends with a steep dive back to the ground.
• Habitat

  Look for American Woodcock in forests, forest edges, old fields, and wet meadows of eastern North America.