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The Short-billed Dowitcher,
Limnodromus griseus, is a medium-sized shorebird of the family
Scolopacidae. The name of this bird can be somewhat misleading,
as its bill is only short in comparison with the Long-billed Dowitcher.
Its long, straight, dark bill is longer than the average shorebird.
The body of adults is dark brown on top and reddish underneath.
The tail has a black and white barred pattern. The legs are a
yellowish color. There are three subspecies with slight variations
in appearance: L. g. griseus has a white belly and barred flanks.
L. g. hendersoni has a reddish belly and spotted flanks. L. g.
caurinus has a white belly with heavily barred flanks and densely
spotted breast. None of these combines the reddish belly and barred
flanks of the Long-billed Dowitcher. The winter plumage is largely
grey.
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Their breeding
habitat includes bogs, tidal marshes, mudflats or forest clearings
south of the tree line in northern North America. L. g. griseus
breeds in northern Quebec; L. g. hendersoni breeds in north central
Canada; L. g. caurinus breeds in southern Alaska. These birds
nest on the ground, usually near water. Their nests are shallow
depressions in clumps of grass or moss, which are lined with fine
grasses, twigs and leaves. They lay four, sometimes three, olive-buff
to brown eggs. Incubation lasts for 21 days and is done by both
sexes. The downy juvenile birds leave the nest soon after hatching.
Parental roles are not well known, but it is belived the female
departs and leaves the male to tend the chicks, which find all
their own food.
Above Images Come From The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
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