Measurements
Both Sexes
- Length
- 13–16.1 in
33–41 cm - Wingspan
- 27.6 in
70 cm - Weight
- 7.1–11.6 oz
200–330 g
Other Names
- Chevalier semipalmé (French)
- Playero pihuiuí (Spanish)
Cool Facts
- Willets breeding in the interior of the West differ from the Atlantic Coastal form in ecology, morphology, and subtly in calls. Western Willets breed in freshwater habitats, and are slightly larger and paler gray. Eastern Willets have stouter bills and more barring on their chest and back. The difference in pitch between the calls of the two forms is very difficult for a person to detect, but the birds can hear the difference and respond more strongly to recorded calls of their own form.
Habitat
Marsh
Food
Insects
Nesting
Nest Placement
Ground
Behavior
Probing
Conservation
Least Concern
Common. No significant population trends.
Credits
- Lowther, P. E., H. D. Douglass III, and C. L. Gratto-Trevor. 2001. Willet (Catoptrophorus semipalmatus ).In The Birds of North America, No. 579 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.