The American Woodcock

The American woodcock (Scolopax minor), sometimes called the timberdoodle, lives in young upland forest and brushy woods near rivers and streams. This bird is also known as the bogsucker, timberdoodle, hookumpeke, and night peck. Woodcock eat worms and insects, which they catch by probing in the soil with their long bills. They breed across eastern North America from Atlantic Canada to the Great Lakes, and spend the winter in lowlands mainly in the southern and Gulf Coast states.

As a migratory bird, the American woodcock lives in the North during spring and summer but spends the cold months in the South. Woodcock migrate at altitudes of about 50 feet, flying at night and resting or feeding in secluded thickets during the day. The birds travel alone or in loose flocks called "flights."

Woodcock are about the size of robins, and their plumage is an overall mottled russet or brown. Males and females are similar in appearance, although females generally average a bit heavier than males -- 7.6 ounces vs. 6.2 ounces and also the weight of each sex varies depending on the time of year.

The bird's bill, which looks too long for its body, is used to probe rich soils for earthworms. Eyes are large, set well back and high on the sides of a timberdoodle's head. This positioning lets the bird look to all sides while it probes for food. Nostrils are located high on the bill, close to the skull. A woodcock's ears are ahead of its eyes, between the base of the bill and the eye sockets.

The brain of an American woodcock is unique among birds. The cerebellum, which controls muscle coordination and body balance, is below the rest of the brain and above the spinal column. In most birds, the cerebellum occupies the rear of the skull.

Earthworms provide about 60 percent of the bird's diet. The worms are high in fat and protein; they provide the necessary nutrients to help keep woodcock healthy and strong. An additional 30 percent of a woodcock diet consists of insects such as ants, flies, beetles, crickets, caterpillars, grasshoppers and various larvae. They've also been known to eat crustaceans, millipedes, centipedes and spiders.