Short-Billed Dowitcher
Limnodromus griseus
Also known as: Common Dowitcher, Dowitcher, Lesser Snipe, Pond Bird
Habitat
Aquatic
Diet
Invertebrate
Active Time
Diurnal
Size
111 g
About This Species
A medium-sized shorebird with a straight, medium-length bill, it feeds with a rapid, sewing-machine-like probing action in shallow water and soft mud on tidal flats, marshes and coastal pools across its North American range. It is most reliably seen during migration, when flocks stage at key stopover wetlands to refuel, and its soft, mellow flight call can help distinguish it from similar species. Winter concentrations along southern coastlines also offer good viewing opportunities.
Ethical Viewing Guidelines
- As a species listed Vulnerable, extra caution is warranted: stay well back from feeding and roosting flocks, ideally using a hide, vehicle, or natural cover rather than approaching in the open, since repeatedly flushing birds during migration can force costly, unplanned energy expenditure at a time when fat reserves are critical.
- It receives legal protection under migratory bird protection laws in the United States and Canada, and disturbance at designated stopover or wintering sites may carry legal as well as ethical consequences.
- Avoid entering roosting areas at high tide, when birds are concentrated and have nowhere else to go.
Seasonal Activity
744,943 sightings · 2000–2026
Citizen science records via GBIF
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Scolopacidae
Traits
- Diet
- Invertebrate
- Foraging
- Aquatic
- Activity
- Diurnal
- Body mass
- 111 g
Photo
(c) Blake Matheson, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
CC-BY-NC-4.0
Occurrence data from GBIF.