NORTH
CAROLINA
American Woodcock
I/
North Carolina Wildlife Profiles
American Woodcock
(Scolopax minor)
The American Woodcock is a remarkably well- camouflaged bird that inhabits moist
forests across the eastern U.S. and Canada but is categorized as a shorebird. Unlike their
coastal relatives such as the Red Knot and Dunlin, these secretive birds live far from any
beaches. During the night, they spend their time probing the soil with their long bills
to feed on earthworms and other invertebrates. The American Woodcock’s nocturnal
lifestyle, inconspicuous plumage and low-profile behavior make it typically quite diffi¬
cult to find. However, at dawn or dusk in springtime, the males can be found showing
off with their stunning aerial displays - what A! do Leopold termed a ‘sky dance’. The
American Woodcock is also known colloquially as the timber doodle , bogsucker and mudbat
or mudsnipe and is a popular game bird throughout eastern North America.
The American Woodcock has a unique brain structure: its cerebellum (the part of
the brain that controls muscle coordination and balance) is below the rest of the brain
and above the spinal column. The w'oodcock brain is essentially upside-down compared
to other bird brains. This brain structure is attributed to the evolution of the long beak
and the eyes set far back in the skull, which allows the woodcock to probe the ground
effectively while keeping an eye on its surroundings.
Well-camouflaged and nocturnal,
the American Woodcock is difficult
for most people to spot.
American Woodcock (Fyn Kynd through Creative Commons license)
Description Range and Distribution
American Woodcock are chunky and short-legged, roughly the size of a robin. They American Woodcock are found in eastern
have large heads and short necks and tails, giving them a bulbous appearance. Their North America. They are present in North
wings are broader and more rounded than most other shorebirds. Their feathers are a Carolina year-round, and can be found
mottled mix of brow, black, buff and gray tones, providing excellent camouflage on the throughout most of the state. In the coastal
ground. Their underparts vary from yellowish white or buffy to almost orange. The bird plain, they are permanent resident with
has a plump body, short, weak legs, a large, rounded head and a long, straight bill. The migratory movements; fairly common in
bill, which looks too long for the body, is 2.5-2.75" long and has a unique feature that areas with suitable habitat. They are also a
allows woodcock to open and close the tip of their mandible while it is in the ground. permanent resident in the piedmont but are
Large, round eyes arc set far back in the skull, allowing a very large visual field; the more common during winter. In the moun-
woodcock is able to see 360° in the horizontal plane and 180° in the vertical plane. tains they are largely a summer resident and
scarce in the winter, and they are uncommon
History and Status in the reg'°n-
The American Woodcock is fairly numerous, but its camouflage, habitat and behavior
make it difficult to detect with standardized surveys like the North American Breeding Range Ma p
Bird Survey or Christmas Bird Count. The estimated population is 5 million but data sug¬
gest that the population has fallen by an average of 1.1% per year since the 1960s (Kelley et
aL, 2008). The species was listed on the 2014 State of the Birds Watch List. The American
Woodcock is one of the only shorebirds that is still hunted, although the yearly harvest
of woodcock has declined from about 1.5 million in the 1970s to only 300,000 in the 2010s;
hunting has not been shown to affect the average population numbers. Recent declines are
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American Woodcock Range Map
more likely related to a combination of habitat loss from development and natural forest
succession. After many family farms were abandoned in the mid-20tl1 century as people
