Catoptrophorus semipalmatus
If you spot a Willet slowly walking along the shore of a wetland, there is little to alert you to this bird's spirited character. At the instant it takes flight, however, its wondrous black-and-white wings flash in harmony with its rhythmic call- a dominant performance at the wetland theater. It is thought that the bright, bold flashes of the Willet's wings may serve as danger warnings to other shorebirds. They may also intimidate predators during a Willet's dive-bombing defense of its young. 'Willet' is an onomatopoeic description of this bird's common call. The genus name Catoptrophorus is a Latinized form of 'mirror-bearing,' a reference to its black-and-white wings. |
I.D.: Sexes similar: plump; heavy, straight, black bill; lightly mottled, gray-brown plumage; light throat and belly. In flight: black-and-white wing pattern. Size: L 14-16 in. (36-41 cm). Range: local breeder in the southern and central U.S. Rockies and north to eastern Montana; extremely rare vagrant in the Canadian Rockies. Habitat: In migration: shores of marshes, wet fields and lakes. Nesting: drier areas. Nesting: typically on the Great Plains and Great Basin; in open, dry areas and sandy flats, occasionally far from water; in a shallow depression lined with grass and other vegetation; occasionally builds a cup nest; pair incubates 4 eggs for 22-29 days. Feeding: feeds by probing muddy areas; also gleans the ground for insects; occasionally eats shoots and seeds. Voice: generally silent in migration; loud, rolling will-will willet, will-willet on breeding grounds. Similar Species: Marbled Godwit: much longer bill; larger body. Greater Yellowlegs: long, yellow legs; lacks the bold wing pattern. |
