Credit: hjhlpster
North American field guide
Short-billed Dowitcher
Limnodromus griseus
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Identification
Field notes
25-30 cm (10-12") Common. Nests on Tundra bogs, winters on coastal mudflats, marshes.
Robin-sized sandpiper feeds by probing mud with long straight black bill in a rapid sewing-machine motion. Yellow-green to gray legs.
Summer: mottled blackish and rust upperparts; mostly bright rusty underparts.
Winter: gray-brown above, whitish below.
In flight, bold white rump extends up back.
Dowitchers are best distinguished by voice.
Song: mellow rapid "tu-tu-tu".
Details in the field
Photo gallery
Credit: Laura Gooch
Credit: Marc AuMarc
Credit: Greg Schneider
Credit: Seabamlrum
Credit: Dan Irizarry
Watch and learn
Videos
21 MAY 2012 Short-billed Dowitcher
Credit: dalebunnyShort-Billed Dowitcher
Credit: jcrotty