Sandhill Nature Education

This is the time of year to watch the dance of the American Woodcock.

On spring evenings just as it’s getting dark, male American Woodcocks begin to dance. Look and listen for them in fields, especially fields near wetlands. The dance has three main parts, each with a  different sound:

1. Peeeent…………peeent…………peeent………. The woodcock is on the ground, broadcasting his buzzy, nazal “peeent” sound. After each “peeeent” there is a pause while he turns to face a new direction. This is the loudest part of his song. If you are quite close you can hear a quiet little hiccup – “tuko” – before each “peeeeent”.

2. Twitter…twitter…. During this part of the dance the woodcock flies in large circles high up into the sky. The twittering noise is made by specially shaped feathers in the woodcock’s wing. As he gets to the top of his climb the twittering is faster and sounds more excited.

3. Chirp, chip, chip, chip….. To finish his performance he falls like a floating leaf back to the ground where he started. As he falls he chirps. He then begins the dance again with his buzzing beeps.

Other interesting woodcock information:

Woodcocks probe in the ground for worms and other invertebrates. They have flexible bills, and can open just the tip to grab a worm. Look at the photos below to see how the tip of its bill opens.

Their eyes are very high on their heads so they can see what’s sneaking up behind them.

The females make nests on the ground, incubate and raise their chicks without help from the males. The little chicks can run around soon after they hatch. The chicks are well camouflaged and hide when frightened. They may grab some leaves and roll so they are hidden underneath. Woodcock adults are also very well camouflaged and often don’t fly until you are very close.

The Woodcock in the photos below was caught in a net to be banded. Scientists put little metal bands with 9-digit numbers on birds so that they can be identified later. What do you think can be learned from this? (where the bird goes, how long it lives, what the migratory paths and distances are for a species and much more) Can you see the band in any of the photos?