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| The Elusive Timberdoodle
 American
Woodcock are studied and managed intensively at Moosehorn.
Timberdoodle, mud-sucker, and mud bat are all local names for the
woodcock. Unlike their
relatives, these reclusive shorebirds have evolved to live in the forests of
eastern North America.
The Atlantic population of Woodcock has declined steadily over the past two
decades. Loss of habitat through conversion of brush-covered land
into house-lots, tree plantations, and mature forests is mostly responsible for
their downfall.
Feathered Acrobats
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Woodcock are best known for their spectacular spring
courtship flights. In late April and early May, birders flock to clearings
to watch the male Woodcock perform. |
Whistling Wings
Sitting in his territory (his "singing
ground") the male
sings a nasal "peent" every five seconds. After about 20 "peents,"
he bursts into flight, spiraling high into the sky. He sings to waiting
females while his wings whistle as the wind passes through his feathers. He
returns to the same spot after each flight and repeats this several times.
Woodcock
need specific, diverse habitats for survival:
 | Clearings
for roosting and courtship; |
| Dense,
alder thickets
for foraging for earthworms; |
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Young,
hardwood forests
for nesting and brooding.
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| Moosehorn
has pioneered efforts to
understand woodcock biology and develop management techniques.
Forest harvesting creates clearings, which grow into shrubby thickets and
eventually mature forests. |
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Research
 Wildlife
biologists band Woodcock from late spring
through early fall. These birds are weighed, sexed, aged, and their bills
are measured. The biologists then place a small metal band containing a
unique number on one of the birds legs. Banded birds that are recaptured
or killed (by predators, accident, or hunters) and found are reported to the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service via a toll-free number on the band. This information is used to estimate
population sizes and migration routes.
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