The American Woodcock — also known as the timberdoodle — is a bird of shrubby and wooded wetlands and uplands that belongs to the genus Scolopax. Woodcocks are unique birds known for their remarkable courtship displays, specialized feeding habits, and reliance on healthy wetland ecosystems. Their presence in wetland habitats serves as an indicator of environmental health and biodiversity. [Read more…] about American Woodcock: A Healthy Wetland Indicator Species
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What’s That Sound? American Woodcock
Have you been outside at dusk lately near an open field or scrub brush area and been startled by a loud PEENT sound followed by twittering sound? What you’re likely hearing is a courtship display of a male American woodcock trying to attract a mate. [Read more…] about What’s That Sound? American Woodcock
The Unsung Music of Birds
With spring creeping closer, our year-round avian residents such as cardinals and titmice are already raising their voices. But there’s more than one way to make music, and birds have evolved means for using everything at their disposal to fill our forests with whistles, twitters, and booms – no voice needed. [Read more…] about The Unsung Music of Birds
Tracking Timberdoodles: American Woodcock
The American woodcock, or Timberdoodle, is a migratory upland bird, whose numbers have been declining for several decades. Since 2018, DEC has been a partner in the Eastern Woodcock Migration Research Cooperative, led by the University of Maine. [Read more…] about Tracking Timberdoodles: American Woodcock
The Woodcock’s Spring Serenade
The woodcock is a plump, mottled tannish-brown bird that is seldom seen during the day because of its extremely effective protective coloration, and its preference for remaining inactive when the sun is above the horizon.
It is during the fading twilight of evening, and as the sky begins to brighten before dawn that this odd-looking bird ventures from a sheltered spot on the forest floor and begins to forage. [Read more…] about The Woodcock’s Spring Serenade