Painted

1909

Published

1930

Volume

4

Plate

228

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Woodcock

Philohela minor

DESCRIPTION

During the day the WOODCOCK sits quietly in a shadowy retreat, usually in swamps but often in open upland woods. It may be flushed in "slashings" where will be found the "form" of old leaves where it had nestled. 'The swampy coverts which "Mr. Big-eyes" prefers are clean, sweet localities, where elders and willows like to grow. The bird is by no means confined to such resorts for it may be found nesting well up in the hills, altho even there a favorite resort generally is not far away, to which it travels in the evening and forages for its nocturnal supper. Often I have seen it against the fading west, bound for its own particular restaurant. Even after night had fallen its familiar scape could be heard.

Some of our birds are enveiled in mystery and the Woodcock is not the least strange of this coterie. It often lives where its presence is unsuspected. One of the best Woodcock coverts I have known was within the limits of the old city of Brooklyn. Fortunately this knowledge was not shared by others, so the birds were little hunted. Into this retreat they would come silently some April night and from it they would disappear some October day as mysteriously.

The flight is swift altho short, sometimes accompanied by a clattering sound, at others as silent as an owl's. I have frequently seen them collide with limbs when flushed. This may be due to the fact that these birds' eyes are placed far back in the head or it may be be cause they are watching the intruder and cannot look forward and backward at the same time.

Mother Woodcock has a curious and interesting habit of flying off, when disturbed, with a young chick grasped between her feet or between her thighs. If she has opportunity she will convey all her babies, one at a time, to a place of security.

At courting time, and all thru the period of incubation, the male indulges in a peculiar aerial dance. Soon after sunset he whirls up in spirals, chirping and twittering, to a height of fifty or sixty feet, then circles horizontally and descends, giving voice to his ecstasy in a continuous "cheeping" until he reaches the ground where he struts like a tiny turkey-gobbler, with drooping wings and upright spread tail, changing his notes to a series of rather hard paiks. On moonlit nights I have listened to this serenade until after nine o'clock.

A dish of angleworms hardly can be considered appetizing but, transmuted in the Woodcock's interior machinery (he is really one hundred per cent. angleworm), there seems to be no difference of opinion among epicures when the bird is brought on toast to the table.

The Woodcock's diet also includes in considerable quantities such harmful insects as the crane fly ("leather jacket") and various species of more or less destructive grasshoppers. To this extent its feeding habits are of distinct benefit to man.

BREEDING

RANGE

Eastern United States and southern Canada. West to North Dakota and west Texas. South to Gulf States.

woodcock
king-rail
King Rail
208
belding-rail
Belding Rail, Lightfoot Rail
209-210.1
california-clapper-rail
California Clapper Rail
210
clapper-rail
Clapper Rail
211
louisiana-clapper-rail
Louisiana Clapper Rail
211a
florida-clapper-rail
Florida Clapper Rail, Wayne Clapper Rail
211b-211c
caribbean-clapper-rail
Caribbean Clapper Rail
211.2
virginia-rail
Virginia Rail
212
sora
Sora
214
yellow-rail
Yellow Rail
215
black-rail
Black Rail
216
purple-gallinule
Purple Gallinule
218
gray-gallinule
Gray Gallinule
219
coot
Coot
221
red-phalarope
Red Phalarope
222
northern-phalarope
Northern Phalarope
223
wilson-phalarope
Wilson Phalarope
224
avocet
Avocet
225
blackneck-stilt
Blackneck Stilt
226
woodcock
Woodcock
228
wilson-snipe
Wilson Snipe
230
brownback-snipe
Brownback Snipe
231
western-brownback-snipe
Western Brownback Snipe
231a
stilt-sandpiper
Stilt Sandpiper
233
knot
Knot
234
purple-sandpiper
Purple Sandpiper
235
aleutian-sandpiper
Aleutian Sandpiper
235a
pribilof-sandpiper
Pribilof Sandpiper
235b
sharptail-sandpiper
Sharptail Sandpiper
238
pectoral-sandpiper
Pectoral Sandpiper
239
whiterump-sandpiper
Whiterump Sandpiper
240
baird-sandpiper
Baird Sandpiper
241
least-sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
242
redback-sandpiper
Redback Sandpiper
243a
curlew-sandpiper
Curlew Sandpiper
244
spoonbill-sandpiper
Spoonbill Sandpiper
245
semipalmated-sandpiper
Semipalmated Sandpiper
246
western-sandpiper
Western Sandpiper
247
sanderling
Sanderling
248
marbled-godwit
Marbled Godwit
249
pacific-godwit
Pacific Godwit
250
hudsonian-godwit
Hudsonian Godwit
251
greater-yellowlegs
Greater Yellowlegs
254
yellowlegs
Yellowlegs
255
solitary-sandpiper
Solitary Sandpiper
256
western-solitary-sandpiper
Western Solitary Sandpiper
256a
willet
Willet
258
western-willet
Western Willet
258a
wandering-tattler
Wandering Tattler
259
upland-plover
Upland Plover
261
buffbreast-sandpiper
Buffbreast Sandpiper
262
spotted-sandpiper
Spotted Sandpiper
263
longbill-curlew
Longbill Curlew
264
hudsonian-curlew
Hudsonian Curlew
265
eskimo-curlew
Eskimo Curlew
266
bristlethigh-curlew
Bristlethigh Curlew
268
blackbelly-plover
Blackbelly Plover
270
golden-plover
Golden Plover
272
pacific-golden-plover
Pacific Golden Plover
272a
kildee
Kildee
273
semipalmated-plover
Semipalmated Plover
274
ring-plover
Ring Plover
275
piping-plover
Piping Plover
277
snowy-plover
Snowy Plover
278
wilson-plover
Wilson Plover
280
mountain-plover
Mountain Plover
281
surfbird
Surfbird
282
turnstone
Turnstone
283
ruddy-turnstone
Ruddy Turnstone
283a
black-turnstone
Black Turnstone
284
oystercatcher
Oystercatcher
286
frazar-oystercatcher
Frazar Oystercatcher
286.1
black-oystercatcher
Black Oystercatcher
287
mexican-jacana
Mexican Jacana
288