TKSST: American Woodcocks: The strutting timberdoodles of Bryant Park and beyond

 


American Woodcocks: The strutting timberdoodles of Bryant Park and beyond

“Superbly camouflaged against the leaf litter,” the Cornell Lab’s All About Birds explains, “the brown-mottled American Woodcock walks slowly along the forest floor, probing the soil with its long bill in search of earthworms.”

“Unlike its coastal relatives, this plump little shorebird lives in young forests and shrubby old fields across eastern North America. Its cryptic plumage and low-profile behavior make it hard to find except in the springtime at dawn or dusk, when the males show off for females by giving loud, nasal peent calls and performing dazzling aerial displays.”

This charmingly egg-shaped shorebird, colloquially called a timberdoodle, is also known for its “funky funny dance walking,” a rhythmic strut seen in this Petite New York video filmed in New York City’s Bryant Park.

Note:  The above comes directly from their website.  Click here to read more.

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