Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
The plump, big-eyed, long-billed, and short-legged American Woodcock (Scolopax minor) is an odd study in contrasts. Like the related Wilson’s Snipe, it’s a shorebird far from shore, often heard but rarely seen, and has earned colorful folk names such as “timberdoodle” and “bogsucker” through its unlikely habits and habitats. This strange, shy species is well worth seeking out, if only to observe the males' enchanting flight display.
Woodcocks are best sought in late winter and early spring, in the crepuscular (twilight) hours of early morning or evening. The best places to look are in open fields adjoining hedgerows or forest edges. A patient, quiet observer does not have to wait very long for the show to begin! The male woodcock’s conspicuous flight displays, memorably dubbed “sky dances” by naturalist Aldo Leopold, begin with a series of nasal peent calls and transition into spiraling flights — a truly spectacular display.
Also known as: Bogsucker, Mudbat , Night Partridge, Labrador Twister
Learn more at abcbirds.org/birds/american-woodcock
The plump, big-eyed, long-billed, and short-legged American Woodcock (Scolopax minor) is an odd study in contrasts. Like the related Wilson’s Snipe, it’s a shorebird far from shore, often heard but rarely seen, and has earned colorful folk names such as “timberdoodle” and “bogsucker” through its unlikely habits and habitats. This strange, shy species is well worth seeking out, if only to observe the males' enchanting flight display.
Woodcocks are best sought in late winter and early spring, in the crepuscular (twilight) hours of early morning or evening. The best places to look are in open fields adjoining hedgerows or forest edges. A patient, quiet observer does not have to wait very long for the show to begin! The male woodcock’s conspicuous flight displays, memorably dubbed “sky dances” by naturalist Aldo Leopold, begin with a series of nasal peent calls and transition into spiraling flights — a truly spectacular display.
Also known as: Bogsucker, Mudbat , Night Partridge, Labrador Twister
Learn more at abcbirds.org/birds/american-woodcock
