Short-billed Dowitcher

The Short-billed Dowitcher is a medium to large sandpiper best known for its distinctive feeding action: it probes mud rapidly with an up-and-down motion of its long, straight bill, often likened to the needle of a sewing machine.

Breeding plumage varies by subspecies but generally shows orange-rufous underparts with barring on the flanks, while nonbreeding birds are plain gray above and below. The bill is long and straight, though — despite the name — it overlaps considerably in length with the very similar Long-billed Dowitcher, making bill length alone an unreliable field mark.

Key field marks

• Long, straight bill used in a rapid, sewing-machine-like probing action
• Orange-rufous underparts with flank barring in breeding plumage (variable by subspecies)
• Plain gray upperparts and underparts in nonbreeding plumage
• White wedge on the lower back visible in flight

Similar species

• Long-billed Dowitcher: virtually identical in structure and plumage; best separated by voice (Short-billed gives a mellow, multi-note "tu-tu-tu" call, Long-billed a sharp, single "keek"), habitat preference (Short-billed favors coastal/brackish sites, Long-billed favors freshwater), and subtle differences in barring pattern on breeding-plumage flanks and belly.
• Wilson's Snipe: shorter legs, more strongly striped head and back pattern, found in dense marsh vegetation rather than open mudflats.

Habitat

Short-billed Dowitchers favor coastal habitats such as tidal mudflats, salt marshes, and brackish lagoons, more so than the freshwater wetlands preferred by the closely related Long-billed Dowitcher.

Range and migration

They breed in boreal and subarctic bog and muskeg habitats across Canada and Alaska. They winter along coastal areas of the southern United States, Mexico, Central America, and the northern coast of South America, migrating through much of North America en route.

Behavior

Dowitchers often feed in tight groups, probing rapidly and repeatedly in the same spot with their long bills, a rhythmic up-and-down motion that distinguishes them at a glance from most other shorebirds even before plumage details are visible.

Voice

The call is a soft, mellow, multi-noted "tu-tu-tu," a key distinguishing feature from the sharper, single-note call of the Long-billed Dowitcher.

Feeding

They feed by rapidly probing soft mud with a rapid vertical motion, taking insect larvae, marine worms, and small mollusks, often submerging the bill's full length.

Nesting and breeding

Pairs nest on the ground in boreal bog and muskeg habitat, typically laying four eggs in a shallow, well-hidden scrape; incubation and chick-rearing duties are shared between the parents, though details vary by population.