Short-billed Dowitcher

Short-billed Dowitcher, adult, breeding plumage

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Short-billed Dowitcher, adult non-breeding plumage

Short-billed Dowitcher, juvenile

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1. Description
2. Sound
3. Conservation Status
4. Other Names
5. Cool Facts
6. Full detailed species account

A medium to large shorebird with a long bill, the Short-billed Dowitcher is a common and conspicous migrant that uses a "sewing-machine" method of foraging across the mud flats. Its long bill is short only in comparison with the very similar Long-billed Dowitcher.

Description

• A medium-sized shorebird with a bill twice as long as its head.
• Moderately long, pale legs.

• Size: 25-29 cm (10-11 in)
• Weight: 90-120 g (3.18-4.24 ounces)

Sex Differences

Females have longer bills and paler orange markings.

Sound

Flight call a melodic "tu" repeated up to four times.

Conservation Status

No special status.

Other Names

Bécassin roux (French)
Agijeta gris, Costurero pico corto (Spanish)

Cool Facts

• The nest and eggs of this species eluded discovery until 1906, and even that information was overlooked for a long while because they were attributed to the Long-billed Dowitcher. The nesting grounds of the eastern race were not discovered until the late 1950s.

• Although both sexes share incubation of the eggs, only the male takes care of the young once they hatch.

Sources used to construct this page:

Jehl, J. R., Jr., J. Klima, and R. E. Harris. Short-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus griseus). In The Birds of North America, No. 564 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.