Extra Value: - recent feedback from a few readers, especially following last weeks venture into the land of raptors, tells me that a bit more detail about bird anatomy and behaviour, on top of the original intention of offering a gentle way into species identification, would be appreciated. Point taken - and I promise not to overdo it for fear of scaring anyone away. Lots of birds for your entertainment this week. All photographs were taken by me, unless stated otherwise - those that are not mine were made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 licence.
Grouse and American Woodcock
These are birds you won’t often see but which exist from the coastal rainforests of British Columbia through the boreal forests north of most Canadian cities. In the UK they are shot for sport - I won’t go there.
Spruce Grouse and Ruffed Grouse, have large, feathered feet that act like natural snowshoes by spreading their weight, so they can move easily over deep winter snow without sinking. In the breeding season, male Ruffed Grouse rapids beat their wings to produce a thumping sound that can be heard up to 150 metres away. For whatever reason it attracts females. In summer feathers are mottled brown and gray, giving camouflage in the forest and then in winter they molt into a frosty white‑gray coat that blends with snow. Grouse eat buds, leaves, as well as insects and thereby both regulate plant growth and control insect populations. In turn, their nests and abandoned burrows create micro‑habitats that benefit small mammals and insects. The photo below was taken in the nearby arboretum - a purely chance encounter.
Woodcock depend on a very specific mix of soil moisture, leaf‑litter depth, and plenty of earthworms, and their presence is often an indicator of a healthy forest ecosystem. They ideally use young, regenerating forests with a thick layer of leaf litter, moss, and decaying wood which are conditions found after logging, fire, or natural disturbance. In the spring, male woodcocks perform an elaborate aerial display from dusk until the early hours of night. A male will rise high in the air, then swoop and dive in a series of spiraling loops while emitting a distinctive “peent‑peent” call. This is a territorial statement as well as a way to attract a mate. Needless to say, I have no photographs of one of these birds, and probably never will.
Wetland and Shore Birds
There are a good number of these species, for example - Killdeer, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Solitary and Spotted Sandpipers, Virginia Rail, Sora, Common Moorhen, American Coot, Wilson’s Snipe, Hudsonian Godwit and various Plovers. If you don’t live in Canada you will surely have your own local collection of species that you can relate to these.
Although the objective of these Noticing Nature posts is to make it easier for people to know which group/family etc whatever they are looking at might belong to, and not go all that deep into the minutiae of species identification, I think nobody would struggle to identify one of these birds as being a “shorebird” of some sort … long beaks and legs, standing in water or on a mud flat does rather give the game away. Anyway, you are standing beside the shore looking at what you already know is a shorebird. What next?
Shorebirds (order Charadriiformes) have evolved a number of anatomical adaptations that let them thrive in the demanding environments of mudflats, sandy beaches, and tidal zones. For example:
Specialized Bills - Species such as sandpipers have long, slender, slightly curved bills that can be thrust deep into wet sediment to probe for and to find buried invertebrates. The tip of the bill often contains a dense clusters of tiny nerve endings that allow the birds to feel prey without seeing it. Species such as plovers have more of a pecking than a probing manner of finding food and have shorter, straight bills that are good for snapping up insects or crustaceans on the surface.
Leg Length - varies quite a lot depending the depth at which each species feeds. Longer legs for those exploring mud etc covered by water and shorter legs in species such as Plovers that make quick sprints across exposed mud.
Tendon‑Locking Mechanism - this is interesting and allows toes to grip slippery surfaces without continuous muscular effort by locking the toes in extension when walking.
Salt Glands - those birds that cannot avoid taking in salt water have specialized excretory glands placed just above the eyes which excrete a concentrated saline solution that drips from the nostrils. A single bird can rid its body of several grams of salt each day.
Aerodynamic Wings - most shorebirds have short, pointed wings that provides a blend of rapid take‑off capability and efficient, sustained flight for long migrations.
Plumage - Counter‑shading, dark dorsal side, lighter ventral side, helps conceal them from both aerial and aquatic predators.
Now, some examples:
Killdeer
Small and actually more likely to be seen in open grasslands than on the edge of water. Unlike most shorebirds that are found on beaches or marshes, they will nest on sand or in prairie fields, and they have been know to nest on rooftops. Their name derives from a high‑pitched “kill‑deer!” call but they also make softer “tink‑tink‑tink” notes when foraging. They seek food , mostly invertebrate, by darting short distances, pausing to peck at the ground, then repeating.
Greater Yellowlegs
A rather solid and long-billed Sandpiper that for most areas of the continent is seen in migration rather than on territory. Quite large, similar in size to Crows. Breeding is achieved on boggy areas of the Canadian boreal forest - the sort of places that are hard to get to and alive with mosquitoes meaning ornithologists have to be really dedicated to their science before spending much time studying them. In passage they can be found on mudflats alongside lakes and rivers. They have one of the longest migrations of any North American shorebird, wintering as far south as the Caribbean, Central America, and northern South America. Usually wade in deeper waters than other Sandpiper species. In breeding plumage, males sport a sleek slate‑gray head and neck with a bright white belly, while females look a bit duller with brownish tones. After the breeding season, both sexes molt into a more uniform, mottled brown‑gray look that blends perfectly with marsh grasses.
Lesser Yellowlegs are smaller and less frequently seen
Long-billed Dowitcher
The bill of these birds can reach up to 4 inches in length, noticeably longer than the bird’s head!. This length allows them to probe deep into soft mud where many other waders can’t reach, where they collect insects, crustaceans, and small worms. On their arctic breeding grounds their chests in season are a bright brownish-gold but the vast majority of birders will not see that and for us the out of season colors are ore of a muddy brown. Ideally they will settle on wetlands with three inches or less of water depth.
Semipalmated Sandpiper
I have to make mention of these truly wonderful small birds - about the size of a large sparrow. Over two million Semipalmated Sandpipers – estimated to comprise some 75% of the world’s population -- move through the Bay of Fundy in the Eastern Maritimes of Canada, travelling from nesting grounds in the Canadian Sub-arctic to wintering areas in South America. In 2017 we were there to see them in flocks of tens of thousands along a limited area of shoreline. They gather there is such huge numbers because at the right time in summer crustaceans, in particular the mudshrimp, Corophium volutator, populations are at their peak and eating them fuels the birds for onward long migration routes … they travel some 15,000km of which a 4500km non-stop leg over open ocean has to be accomplished. We walked along a trail that passed through a belt of shoreline trees and came out on the shoreline where in both directions, as far as we could see, there were millions of these small birds should to shoulder - as this picture demonstrates.
Solitary Sandpiper
Another small, migratory shorebird that breeds in the boreal forests and tundra of Canada and Alaska, liking wet, mossy areas near lakes and streams. Often stay well hidden among vegetation. Their diet consists mainly of insects, crustaceans, and small aquatic invertebrates, which they forage by probing soft substrates with a slightly upturned bill. Their populations are generally stable, though habitat loss and climate change pose ongoing conservation concerns.
Sanderling
Medium‑sized shorebirds with a restless, “bobbing” gait found along coastlines where they feed by running down the beach after a receding wave to pick up stranded invertebrates or probe for prey hidden in the wet sand. Breed in the high Arctic tundra of North America, Europe, and Asia, nesting in shallow scrapes amid moss and lichen. After hatching, fledglings migrate thousands of miles to temperate and tropical beaches worldwide, where they spend the non‑breeding season feeding on tiny invertebrates—crabs, worms, and amphipods—by rapidly probing the sand with short, straight bills. Sanderlings are highly social during migration, forming large flocks that constantly scan the surf for food. The bird in the photo was found beside the river not far from home, quite happily foraging for food but no sign of the expected large flock. Posed well for his portrait - this is non-breeding plumage, in season their backs are brown.
Semipalmated Plover
The photo was taken of a Semipalmated Plover on a beach in Haida Gwaii … definitely not down the road beside our local river. They breed, like most shorebird species in open tundra in the Arctic and sub‑Arctic, where it nests in shallow depressions lined with pebbles or vegetation. In winter they migrate to coastal mudflats, estuaries, and inland wetlands, where they forage by sight, running short bursts to capture insects, crustaceans, and small mollusks.
Next week: Gulls
Really appreciated the anatomical detail here. The tendon-locking mechanism is facinating because it shows how energy conservation drives evolution in enviroments where food is scattered. Spent a lot of time watching sanderlings as a kid and never knew about those nerve clusters in the bill tips. Wild to think they're essentially feeling around blind in the mud with such precision.