Short-billed Dowitcher

Limnodromus griseus (Gmelin, JF, 1789)

23–32 cmLength48 cmWingspan110 gWeight

This bird rapidly probes its long bill into mud with a sewing-machine action.

Busiest months: May and August · Most records: United States, Canada, Mexico

Vulnerable

How to identify

Field marks

Bill long; body stocky
Tail feathers with alternating black-and-white barring
Legs and feet pale yellow
Winter plumage mostly gray

Voice

Softer than its long-billed relative's call, providing a clue to identification.

Where and when it's recorded

Short-billed Dowitcher has been recorded at 888 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 53 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

To protect this bird from disturbance, we don't list exact sites.

Countries and regions with the most records

United States Canada Mexico Panama Costa Rica Belize Bermuda Cayman Islands

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 short-billed dowitcher (Limnodromus griseus), like its congener, the long-billed dowitcher, is a medium-sized, stocky, long-billed shorebird in the family Scolopacidae.

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

Questions

How big is the Short-billed Dowitcher?

The Short-billed Dowitcher is about 23–32 cm long, with a wingspan of 48 cm and weighs around 110 g.

Where does the Short-billed Dowitcher live?

Its breeding range: North America: northern temperate bogs in tundra and muskeg of Nearctic: Gulf of Alaska and inland south-central Alaska, southwestern Yukon and montane northwestern British Columbia (northwestern Canada); north-central Alberta to western Manitoba (central Canada); southwestern Hudson and James bays to western Labrador (east-central Canada). It is most often recorded in United States, Canada and Mexico.

When is the best time to see the Short-billed Dowitcher?

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

Is the Short-billed Dowitcher endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Short-billed Dowitcher as Vulnerable.

What does the Short-billed Dowitcher eat?

Main food: Fish, shrimp & shellfish.

What family is the Short-billed Dowitcher in?

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

At a glance

Length: 23–32 cm
Wingspan: 48 cm
Weight: 110 g
Habitat: Wetland
Diet: Fish, shrimp & shellfish
Lifestyle: Active on the ground
Migration: Migratory
Conservation: Vulnerable

More measurements

Wing: 143 mm
Tail: 55 mm
Bill: 61 mm
Tarsus: 34 mm

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

Range

North America: northern temperate bogs in tundra and muskeg of Nearctic: Gulf of Alaska and inland south-central Alaska, southwestern Yukon and montane northwestern British Columbia (northwestern Canada); north-central Alberta to western Manitoba (central Canada); southwestern Hudson and James bays to western Labrador (east-central Canada)

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2