They are found in eastern North America from southern Manitoba east across Canada to Newfoundland and in the U.S. from Texas east. They winter in the southern part of their range from Connecticut south.
They live in moist woodlands and thickets near open fields.
They have a rounded body with a short neck and big eyes. They have a long, thin bill and dark stripes (bars) across the head. Their mottled coloration is great camouflage and helps them blend in as they search the leaf litter for earthworms.
They are active in the evening (at dusk). To attract a mate in the spring, males fly around in a spiral higher and higher in the sky and then dive straight down calling.
They eat mostly worms that they dig out from the leaf litter with their long bill.
The female lays 1 -12 tan, spotted eggs in a shallow dent on the ground.
The American woodcock is also called a timberdoodle.
Related Links:
Woodcock Coloring Page
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Aves
Order: Charadriiformes
Suborder: Scolopaci
Family: Scolopacidae
Genus: Scolopax
Species: S. minor
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Amsel, Sheri. "Woodcock (American)" Exploring Nature Educational Resource ©2005-2024. March 25, 2024
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