Long-billed Dowitcher
Encyclopedia
The Long-billed Dowitcher, Limnodromus scolopaceus, is a medium-sized shorebird.
Adults have yellowish legs and a long straight dark bill. The body is dark brown on top and reddish underneath with spotted throat and breast, bars on flanks. The tail has a black and white barred pattern. The winter plumage is largely grey.
Their breeding habitat is wet tundra in the far north of North America
and eastern Siberia
. They nest on the ground, usually near water.
They migrate
to the southern United States
and as far south as Central America
. Long-billed Dowitcher is a rare but regular visitor to western Europe
, with some individuals staying for long periods.
These birds forage by probing in shallow water or on wet mud. They mainly eat insects, mollusks, crustaceans and marine worms, but also eat some plant material.
They are more likely to be seen near fresh water than the Short-billed Dowitcher
.
Adults have yellowish legs and a long straight dark bill. The body is dark brown on top and reddish underneath with spotted throat and breast, bars on flanks. The tail has a black and white barred pattern. The winter plumage is largely grey.
Their breeding habitat is wet tundra in the far north of North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and eastern Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
. They nest on the ground, usually near water.
They migrate
Bird migration
Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
to the southern United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and as far south as Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
. Long-billed Dowitcher is a rare but regular visitor to western Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, with some individuals staying for long periods.
These birds forage by probing in shallow water or on wet mud. They mainly eat insects, mollusks, crustaceans and marine worms, but also eat some plant material.
They are more likely to be seen near fresh water than the Short-billed Dowitcher
Short-billed Dowitcher
The Short-billed Dowitcher like its congener the Long-billed Dowitcher, is a medium-sized, stocky, long-billed shorebird in the family Scolopacidae. It is an inhabitant of North America, Middle America, and northern South America. It is strongly migratory; it completely vacates in breeding areas...
.
External links
- Long-billed Dowitcher - Limnodromus scolopaceus - USGS Patuxent Bird Identification Infocenter
- Long-billed Dowitcher Species Account - Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Long-billed Dowitcher Information and Photos - South Dakota Birds and Birding