About Scolopax minor J.F.Gmelin, 1789
This species has the scientific name Scolopax minor J.F.Gmelin, 1789, and is commonly called the American woodcock. The American woodcock has a plump body, short legs, a large rounded head, and a long straight prehensile bill. Adult individuals measure 10 to 12 inches, or 25 to 30 cm, in length, and weigh 5 to 8 ounces, or 140 to 230 g. Females are considerably larger than males. The bill measures 2.5 to 2.8 inches, or 6.4 to 7.1 cm, in length. Wingspans range from 16.5 to 18.9 inches, or 42 to 48 cm. The plumage forms a cryptic mix of different shades of brown, gray, and black. The chest and sides range from yellowish-white to rich tan. The nape of the head is black, with three or four crossbars of deep buff or rufous. The small, weak feet and toes range from brownish gray to reddish brown. American woodcocks have large eyes set high on their heads, and their visual field is likely the largest of any bird, covering 360° in the horizontal plane and 180° in the vertical plane. The American woodcock uses its long prehensile bill to probe soil for food, mainly invertebrates and especially earthworms. A unique arrangement of bone and muscle allows the bird to open and close the tip of its upper bill, or mandible, while the bill is sunk underground. Both the underside of the upper mandible and the long tongue have rough surfaces to help grasp slippery prey. In terms of distribution and habitat, American woodcocks live in forested areas and mixed forest-agricultural-urban areas east of the 98th meridian. They have been observed as far north as York Factory, Manitoba, and as far east as Labrador and Newfoundland. In winter, they migrate as far south as the Gulf Coast of the United States and Mexico. The primary breeding range extends from Atlantic Canada, covering Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and New Brunswick, west to southeastern Manitoba, and south to northern Virginia, western North Carolina, Kentucky, northern Tennessee, northern Illinois, Missouri, and eastern Kansas. A limited number of individuals breed as far south as Florida and Texas. The species may be expanding its distribution northward and westward. After migrating south in autumn, most American woodcocks spend the winter in Gulf Coast and southeastern Atlantic Coast states. Some may remain as far north as southern Maryland, eastern Virginia, and southern New Jersey. The core of the wintering range is centered on Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia. Based on Christmas Bird Count results, winter concentrations are highest in the northern half of Alabama. American woodcocks live in wet thickets, moist woods, and brushy swamps. Ideal habitats combine early successional habitat, abandoned farmland, and forest. In late summer, some American woodcocks roost on the ground at night in large openings among sparse, patchy vegetation. Courtship and breeding habitats include forest openings, roadsides, pastures, and old fields, where males call and perform courtship flights in spring. Nesting habitats include thickets, shrubland, and young to middle-aged forest interspersed with openings. Feeding habitats have moist soil, and feature dense young trees including aspen (Populus spp.), birch (Betula spp.), and mixed hardwoods less than 20 years old, along with shrubs, particularly alder (Alnus spp.). Roosting habitats are semiopen sites with short, sparse plant cover, such as blueberry barrens, pastures, and recently heavily logged forest stands. For food and feeding, American woodcocks eat mainly invertebrates, particularly earthworms (Oligochaeta), and they have been recorded using worm charming methods to bring worms to the surface. They do most of their feeding in areas with moist soil. They forage by probing soft soil in thickets, where they usually stay well hidden. Other food items include insect larvae, snails, centipedes, millipedes, spiders, snipe flies, beetles, and ants. They eat a small amount of plant food, mainly seeds. American woodcocks are crepuscular, and are most active at dawn and dusk.
