Golondrina americana

Habitat loss is a universal threat to birds. Habitat loss, along with the fragmentation and degradation of habitat, contributes to bird population declines of both very range-restricted species and long-distance migratory birds. Suitable habitat is the foundation of what birds need to thrive. Recent regional declines in American Woodcock numbers are often attributed to the loss of early-successional or second-growth habitat (the shrubby, grassy habitat that comes after a disturbance, like timber harvesting or fire), and to the conversion of habitat for agriculture or other development.

Because American Woodcocks are nocturnal migrants, they are frequent victims of collisions with glass windows, communications towers, and other human-made structures.

A heavy diet of earthworms makes up more than half of the American Woodcock’s diet. This makes the American Woodcock vulnerable to poisoning by accumulated pesticides and heavy metals, which are picked up by the worms as they digest soil matter.

The American Woodcock shares its second-growth habitat with the Golden-winged Warbler and benefits from conservation measures designed for that vulnerable species. In Minnesota, with funding from the Outdoor Heritage Fund, ABC has improved more than 2,500 acres of habitat for American Woodcocks and Golden-winged Warblers.

ABC ha sido líder en el esfuerzo por reducir el devastador impacto de las colisiones con cristales en las aves. Hemos desarrollado métodos innovadores para evaluar la eficacia de los dispositivos de prevención de colisiones, creado recursos para mejorar nuestra comprensión colectiva de las colisiones y facilitar el acceso a soluciones, y promovido políticas que protejan a las aves en Estados Unidos.

ABC colabora con socios a nivel estatal y federal en EE. UU. para exigir la regulación o la prohibición de los plaguicidas y toxinas más dañinos para las aves. Desarrollamos programas innovadores, como trabajar directamente con agricultores para que utilicen semillas sin recubrimiento de neonicotinoides, impulsar la investigación sobre el impacto de los plaguicidas en las aves y alentar a millones de personas a dejar de usar plaguicidas dañinos.

Earthworms account for most of an American Woodcock’s diet. It will also feed on beetles, flies, centipedes, larvae, and occasionally seeds. A woodcock walks along the ground with a comical-looking rocking gait as it forages. The vibrations from its steps are thought to disturb earthworms underground, making them easier to detect and catch.

The male begins his display with a buzzy, nasal peent call, turning in a tight circle while calling to broadcast to all nearby females. After a series of calls, he launches into the air, circling higher and higher until almost invisible, his wings making a distinctive chittering sound. At the apex of his display flight (200–350 feet), the male woodcock begins a series of high-pitched chirps, then tumbles back to earth in a steep, zig-zagging dive, where he begins his display anew.

Female woodcocks visit males’ display grounds and mate with them there, then leave to nest and raise the young by themselves, with males contributing no parental care. Some females visit multiple display grounds before nesting and even continue to visit while incubating and raising broods.

A female woodcock nests on the ground within forest cover. Her nest, like an Eastern Whip-poor-will’s, is a shallow depression in the leaf litter or directly on the forest floor, where her cryptic plumage conceals her and the nest from predators.

American Woodcock clutch size averages four eggs, which the female incubates herself. The fluffy young hatch with eyes open and fully mobile, leaving the nest only hours after hatching. The mother will feed her young for about a week as they learn to find food. By about two weeks, the fledglings can fly short distances; they will spend another month foraging with their mother, then strike out on their own.