Bird of the Week #19

This week's Bird of the Week is American Woodcock!

American Woodcocks are large shorebirds about the size of a Mourning Dove. Most of their bodies are brown, tan, and grey. They have a tan chest, two dark lines on the top of the head, and pink legs. The bill is pink with a black tip. They eat earthworms and insects. They live mostly in open woodland and overgrown fields. They do elaborate courtship displays in which the male flies high in the air at dawn and dusk in a field. Otherwise, it is very hard to find these birds.

American Woodcocks can be found breeding in the eastern half of the United States and southern Canada, being year-round in the southern and eastern United States. In New York City, they are year round, with Floyd Bennet Field being a good place to find them, especially when they do courtship displays. Elsewhere in the city, they are usually found from late February or early March through November. You are also more likely to flush one accidentally than actually find one, as they are one of the best camouflaged birds in the city, easily blending in with the leaf litter. Central Park is no exception to the rest of the city.