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Cool Facts |
Photo
taken from:
The
Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Western North America by
David Allen Sibley
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- 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.
- Until 1950, the Short-billed Dowitcher and
Long-billed Dowitcher were considered to be one species.
- The name of this bird can be somewhat
misleading, as its bill is only short in comparison with the Long-billed
Dowitcher.A group of sandpipers has many collective nouns, including a
"bind", "contradiction", "fling", "hill", and "time-step" of sandpipers.
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Description |
Adult Description
- A medium-sized shorebird with a bill twice as long as its head.
- Moderately long, pale legs.
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Immature Description
Juvenal plumage with buffy chest and flanks, less spotting and barring
than breeding adults. Back feathers dark centered with broad buffy
edges, giving a slightly scaly appearance. Tertials dark with orange
pattern inside ("tiger-striped"). |
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Range Map |
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Taxonomic Hierarchy |
© 2003 Cornell Lab of Ornithology
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Kingdom: |
Animalia |
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Phylum: |
Chordata |
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Subphylum: |
Vertebrata |
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Class: |
Aves |
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Order: |
Ciconiiformes |
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Family: |
Scolopacidae |
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Genus: |
Limnodromus |
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Species: |
Limnodromus griseus |
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Subspecies: |
- Limnodromus griseus caurinus
- Limnodromus griseus griseus
- Limnodromus griseus hendersoni
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Sound |
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Flight call a melodic "tu" repeated up to four times.
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Identification and
Information
See
Anatomy
of a Bird
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Body |
- Length
Range: 27-30 cm (10.5-12 in)
- Weight:
108 g (3.8 oz)
- Size:
Medium (9 - 16 in)
- Color
Primary: Brown
- Underparts:
Pale rust-brown with heavy brown spots
and bars.
- Upperparts:
Brown-black feathers with pale brown
edges.
- Back
Pattern: Striped or streaked
- Belly
Pattern: Solid
- Breast
Pattern: Spotted or speckled, Solid
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Head |
- Bill Shape:
Dagger
- Eye Color:
Dark brown.
- Head
Pattern: Eyeline, Capped, Striped,
Streaked, Eyering
- Crown Color:
Black with fine pale brown stripes.
- Forehead
Color: Pale brown and black.
- Nape Color:
Brown
- Throat
Color: Pale rust-brown.
- Cere color:
No Data
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Flight |
- Flight
Pattern: Strong powerful direct flight.
- Wingspan
Range: 46-56 cm (18-22 in)
- Wing Shape:
Tapered-Wings
- Tail Shape:
Squared Tail
- Tail
Pattern: Barred
- Upper Tail:
Brown and white bars.
- Under Tail:
Brown and white.
- Leg Color:
Gray-green
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Breeding |
- Breeding Location:
Seashore, rocky or sandy, Marshes,
freshwater, Swamps, Grasslands
- Breeding Type:
Monogamous, Colonial
- Breeding Population:
- Egg Color:
Buff green or brown with brown speckles
- Number of Eggs:
4
- Incubation Days:
21
- Egg Incubator:
Female
- Nest Material:
Sticks, leaves, and grasses.
- Migration: Migratory
- Condition at Hatching: Downy
chicks able to walk immediately, can swim as
soon as they are dry. Leave nest when all
are hatched. Not fed by parents.
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Other Names |
Similar Species |
- Bécassin roux (French)
- Agijeta gris, Costurero pico corto (Spanish)
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- Wilson's Snipe has similar proportions, but has dark rump and tail
and golden stripes down back.
- Stilt Sandpiper has longer legs, a shorter, slightly down-curved
bill, and a white rump that does not extend up the back.
- Long-billed Dowitcher is extremely similar and difficult to
distinguish in most plumages. Juvenile long-billed lacks the
tiger-striping in the tertials, and has plain gray ones instead.
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Conservation Status |
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No special status.
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Habitat |
Sources used to
Construct this Page: |
- Breeds in muskegs of taiga to timberline, and barely onto
subarctic tundra.
- Winters on coastal mud flats and brackish lagoons.
- In migration prefers saltwater tidal flats, beaches, and
salt marshes.
- Found in freshwater mud flats and flooded agricultural
fields.
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- 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.
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Food |
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Aquatic invertebrates. On breeding grounds eats fly larvae, other
insects, snails, and some seeds. |
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Behavior |
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Male sings in flight on breeding grounds.Probes deeply into soft
substances to the depth of the bill, sometimes submerging the head.
Food is captured and swallowed under the mud, except for worms,
which are pulled to the surface. Feeds in water up to the depth of
the belly. |
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