Short-billed Dowitcher

Habitat

During migration and winter, Short-billed Dowitchers are usually found in salt water on mud flats and tidal marshes. They can sometimes be found on fresh water at the muddy edges of ponds, but are less likely on fresh water than Long-billeds. They breed in open marshes and bogs in the boreal forest zone, usually inland, but close to fresh water.

Behavior

Short-billed Dowitchers can often be found in very large, dense flocks. They feed by probing their long bills into mud or shallow water. Their bills are full of nerve endings, useful for sensing prey. They walk along slowly, lifting their heads up and down like a sewing machine. The call is a sharp, low, two-syllable whistle, easily distinguished from the high peeping of the Long-billed.

Diet

On the breeding grounds, Short-billed Dowitchers eat insects and insect larvae. On mudflats, they also eat mollusks, crustaceans, marine worms, and other aquatic invertebrates.

Nesting

Short-billed Dowitchers nest in northern Canada and Alaska. Nests are usually located on the ground near water. The nest is a shallow scrape in a clump of moss or grass, lined with twigs, leaves, or grass. Both parents incubate the four eggs for about 21 days. The young leave the nest within a day of hatching and find their own food. Both parents help tend the young, but the female may abandon the group early. The male probably stays with the young until they are close to fledging.

Migration Status

Short-billed Dowitchers migrate medium to long distances. Many winter along the US, Central American, and South American coasts. The western race that passes through Washington stays close to the Pacific coast during its travels.

Conservation Status

Until 1950, Short-billed and Long-bill Dowitchers were considered a single species. The Canadian Wildlife Service estimates the population of Short-billed Dowitchers at 320,000, spread across North America as three subspecies. The same estimate numbers the western subspecies at 150,000 birds. The Short-billed Dowitcher is listed as a species of concern on the Partners in Flight watch list and is reported to be declining.

When and Where to Find in Washington

This common, coastal migrant may number in the tens of thousands in Grays Harbor during the spring migration peak. Willapa Bay is another major stopover point in spring. These two sites are the only spots where large numbers usually congregate in the spring, but smaller numbers may be scattered in other spots along Washington's outer coast as well. The spring influx of birds usually starts with a few birds at the end of March, and lasts into early May. They are common from early April to early May, peaking at the end of April. By mid-May, they have tapered off considerably and are rarely seen. By late June, they start becoming more common as the fall migration begins. The peak southerly movement of adults is from the end of June to mid-July, with numbers tapering off and blending into the August and early September peak migration juveniles. Numbers vary greatly, and in some years, fewer than a thousand birds are counted. The birds that migrate through Washington breed in Alaska and winter on the Pacific Coast south of Washington. Some first-year birds stay on the wintering grounds, or migrate only as far as Washington for the summer. Migrants in eastern Washington are never common. They can be seen occasionally in spring, and rarely in fall, at large wetlands in the Columbia Basin. While some birds summer at Grays Harbor and Willapa Bay, wintering birds are very unusual, and care should be taken not to misidentify Long-billed Dowitchers, which are much more common in Washington in winter.

Washington Range Map