Willet

The Willet is a large, stocky sandpiper that looks rather plain and unremarkable at rest—gray-brown above, paler below, with a straight, stout bill and blue-gray legs. In flight, however, it is utterly transformed, revealing a bold, striking black-and-white wing pattern that makes it instantly identifiable even at a distance.

Two subspecies are recognized: the eastern Willet, which breeds in coastal salt marshes along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, and the western Willet, which breeds in freshwater prairie wetlands of the interior and is somewhat larger, paler, and longer-billed.

Its loud, ringing calls are a familiar and territorial sound of both prairie wetlands and coastal marshes during the breeding season.

Key field marks

• Plain gray-brown upperparts at rest, straight stout bill, blue-gray legs
• Bold black-and-white wing pattern revealed only in flight—diagnostic
• Large, robust sandpiper shape

Similar species

• Greater Yellowlegs has bright yellow legs and lacks the black-and-white flight pattern.
• At rest, the Willet can look nondescript and is best confirmed by flushing it to see the wing pattern.

Eastern Willets breed in coastal salt marshes along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States and the Caribbean, while western Willets breed inland in freshwater prairie marshes and wet grasslands of the north-central United States and south-central Canada.

Outside the breeding season, both subspecies winter along coastal beaches, mudflats, and estuaries from the southern United States through Central America to South America.

Voice

A loud, ringing, oft-repeated pill-will-willet call, from which the species gets its name, along with sharp alarm notes given when defending territory.

Feeding

Forages by probing and picking in mud, sand, and shallow water for insects, crustaceans, mollusks, and small fish; often wades belly-deep while feeding.

Nesting

Nests on the ground in a shallow, grass-lined scrape hidden among marsh or prairie vegetation. Both parents share incubation and are highly territorial and vocal, often calling loudly and flying at intruders near the nest.