American Woodcock
Scolopax minor
Also known as: Big-Eyes, Bogborer, Bogsucker, Hookum-Pake, Labrador Twister
About This Species
Look for this stocky, cryptically patterned shorebird on the floor of moist woodlands and brushy thickets in the eastern United States and Canada, where it uses its long bill to probe soft soil for earthworms. It is best known for the male's spectacular spring courtship flight at dawn and dusk, a buzzy peent call followed by a spiraling display flight and twittering descent, performed in brushy fields near woodland edges. Late winter through spring is the prime season to witness this display.
Ethical Viewing Guidelines
- Its excellent camouflage means it often sits still rather than flushing, so watch your footing in likely habitat and back away slowly if one is spotted at close range rather than approaching further.
- Migratory bird protections apply across much of its US and Canadian range but specifics and hunting seasons vary by state and province, so check local regulations rather than assuming a blanket rule.
- Courtship display grounds are traditional sites used year after year, so observe the sky dance from a distance without walking into the display field itself.
Seasonal Activity
389,463 sightings · 2000–2026
Citizen science records via GBIF
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Scolopacidae
Photo
(c) Joe Girgente, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Joe Girgente
CC-BY-NC-4.0
Occurrence data from GBIF.