Short-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus griseus)

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A Field Guide to Eastern Birds. by Roger Tory Peterson.

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Summer Plumage - Central Prairies

Color Photograph: © by and courtesy of Robert Benson

Summer Plumage - Eastern Population

Color Photograph: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Winter Plumage

Color Photograph: U.S. Bureau of Land Management

Short-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus griseus)

Identification: Length from tip of bill to tip of tail 12 inches.

Summer Plumage: General coloration variable between populations, but generally rich brown, back and wing feathers margined with white or orange. Bill long, heavy appearing, mostly straight, although tip slightly downturned. Underside geographically and individually variable. Underside in central prairie population rusty orange from throat to belly, spotted with dark brown on the neck, breast, and sides. In eastern and western populations the rusty-orange is much less extensive and may be limited to the base of the neck and the sides of the body. Rump white and tail finely white and black striped. The Rump and tail characters are rarely seen unless the bird is flying. Legs greenish-yellow.

Winter Plumage: Back and wings gray-brown without rusty-orange tints. Side of head white with a distinct dark line through the eye. Sides, neck, and breast variably tinged with gray. Otherwise as in summer plumage.

Similar Species:  The Short-billed Dowitcher can be extremely difficult to distinguish from the Long-billed Dowitcher. The Long-billed Dowitcher has a slightly longer and heavier appearing bill. The general coloration is darker and the underside is more rusty-red than rusty-orange. Winter plumage birds are nearly identical and a best separated by their voice. The voice of the Short-tailed Dowitcher is a soft tu-tu-tu. In contrast the voice of the Long-billed Dowitcher is a sharp, high keek. The Short-billed Dowitcher might be mistaken for species of godwits. However godwits are larger birds with a bicolored bill; orange at the base and black at the tip. In contrast the bill of the Short-billed Dowitcher is all black.

Breeding Range (see map below): The breeding range of the Short-billed Dowitcher is divided into three disjunct populations; one in upper Quebec and Labrador, one in the central region of Canada, and a third along the southern coast of Alaska.

Overwintering Range:  This species overwinters along the coasts of the United States from Virginia in the east to northern California in the west.

Habitat: The Short-billed Dowitcher breeds in wet, southern tundra or along lakes and pools in northern boreal forest. Overwintering birds are typically found in salt marshes, mudflats, and estuaries.

Food: Aquatic invertebrates.

Behavior: The Short-billed Dowitcher is a gregarious species and is often seen in large groups. They hunt by rapidly probing the mud with their bills in a fast up-and-down movement. They are commonly compared to sewing machines.

Reproduction:  The clutch consists of 4 brown-spotted dull green eggs. The eggs are laid in a ground depression lined with grass and moss.