Asian Dowitcher

Limnodromus semipalmatus (Blyth, 1848)

≈36 cmLength58 cmWingspan212 gWeight

This bird has a long, straight, dark bill and probes repeatedly downward with a sewing-machine action when foraging.

Busiest months: May · Most records: China, Thailand, Australia

Looks like Bar-tailed Godwit

Near Threatened

How to identify

Field marks

Bill long, straight and dark
Legs and feet dark
Upperparts rufous and underparts red in breeding plumage
Tail with alternating black-and-white barring

Voice

A sharp, short call.

Similar species

Bar-tailed Godwit

Asian Dowitcher is smaller than Bar-tailed Godwit, with a sharp, short call and the typical dowitcher “sewing-machine” foraging action.

Where and when it's recorded

Asian Dowitcher has been recorded at 265 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 18 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Pak Thale Nature ReserveThailand907 records
Mai Po Nature ReserveHong Kong (China)727 records
Nanpu MudflatChina535 records

More places

Khlong Tamru – 1 Alley salt pansThailand205 records
Laem Phak Bia – salt pans E of Hwy. 4028Thailand200 records
Crab Creek MangrovesAustralia167 records
Pak Thale Nature Reserve – salt pans by the junctionThailand163 records
Kinmen – Lake Ci Fishponds Birding AreaChina155 records
Hunter Wetlands National Park – Stockton SandspitAustralia149 records
Port of Brisbane Shorebird RoostAustralia147 records

Countries and regions with the most records

China Thailand Australia Mongolia Malaysia Singapore Philippines India

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The Asian dowitcher (Limnodromus semipalmatus) is a medium-large wader in the Scolopacidae family of sandpipers.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Asian Dowitcher?

The Asian Dowitcher is about ≈36 cm long, with a wingspan of 58 cm and weighs around 212 g.

Where does the Asian Dowitcher live?

Its breeding range: Palearctic: inland wetlands of temperate central, eastern Palearctic: southwestern Siberia and eastern Kazakhstan, (probably) northern Mongolia to Amurland (southeastern Siberia) and northeastern China. It is most often recorded in China, Thailand and Australia.

When is the best time to see the Asian Dowitcher?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in May (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the Asian Dowitcher endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Asian Dowitcher as Near Threatened.

What does the Asian Dowitcher eat?

Main food: Fish, shrimp & shellfish.

What family is the Asian Dowitcher in?

It belongs to the family Sandpipers, Snipes (Scolopacidae), order Charadriiformes.

At a glance

Length: ≈36 cm
Wingspan: 58 cm
Weight: 212 g
Habitat: Wetland
Diet: Fish, shrimp & shellfish
Lifestyle: Active on the ground
Migration: Migratory
Conservation: Near Threatened

More measurements

Wing: 174 mm
Tail: 61 mm
Bill: 86 mm
Tarsus: 49 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Palearctic: inland wetlands of temperate central, eastern Palearctic: southwestern Siberia and eastern Kazakhstan, (probably) northern Mongolia to Amurland (southeastern Siberia) and northeastern China

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2