What Can I Hunt
Support
Back to species list
Woodcock

Woodcock

Rhododendrites · Source

Migratory BirdsFederal migratory bird

Woodcock

A secretive shorebird relative living in moist woods.

Field guide

A secretive shorebird relative living in moist woods.

Identification

Shared features

Round body, very long bill, large eyes set high and far back, and cryptic brown plumage.

Male

Males and females share the very long bill, high-set eyes and mottled brown plumage. Males perform a dusk aerial display but are not reliably sexed by plumage.

Female

Females look much like males and average larger, especially in bill length. The overlap is substantial, so a single resting bird usually cannot be sexed by sight.

Habitat
Moist young forest, alder thickets and openings used for spring display.
Where to look during the day

Morning

At dawn, listen near forest openings in spring and check moist ground for foraging.

Afternoon

In the afternoon, birds usually remain hidden in dense damp cover.

Evening

At dusk, listen for display flights over openings and watch woodland edges.

Sounds

A nasal ground 'peent' and twittering wing sounds during display.

Recorded calls

Woodcock

Field recording of an American woodcock. A narrower call type or the caller's sex is not assigned to this clip.

Tom Austin · Recording source

Natural history source: Read the source

Bag limits

Bag and possession summaries.

    Daily: 8 per day for residents of CanadaPossession: 24
    Official bag-limit source
      Daily: 4 per day for non-residents of CanadaPossession: 24
      Official bag-limit source