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Short-billed Dowitcher Limnodromus griseus Agujeta Piquicorta,
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Non-breeding plumage -
Photo: G. Beaton
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Short-billed Dowitcher Limnodromus griseus Agujeta Piquicorta,
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Non-breeding plumage -
Photo: G. Beaton
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IDENTIFICATION: Despite its name, the Short-billed Dowitcher actually has a fairly long bill, somewhat thicker at the base, which it uses to probe deeply in mud for food. Its bill is short only compared to related species. Length: 25-29 cm.; weight: 65-154 g. VOICE: The call note is described as a mellow "tu tu tu". Audio 2 (M. Oberle). HABITAT: Mudflats, wet fields, mangroves. HABITS: The DowitcherÆs foraging movements are like a sewing machine---rapidly moving its head up and down as it probes the mud for worms, crustaceans, molluscs and insect larvae. In winter it flocks with other sandpiper species such as the Stilt Sandpiper. On its breeding grounds in North America, the Dowitcher builds a scrape nest in a clump of grass or moss. Both sexes incubate the four eggs for 21 days. The chicks leave the nest soon after hatching and they are brooded and led to feeding areas mostly by the male. STATUS AND CONSERVATION: An uncommon winter resident in wetlands on Puerto Rico. It was formerly more common but populations declined due to hunting. RANGE: Breeds in central Canada and southern Alaska; winters along the coast from southern USA through Central America and the West Indies to coastal Brazil and Peru. Regular at Cabo Rojo. TAXONOMY: CHARADRIIFORMES; SCOLOPACIDAE; Scolopacinae |
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Breeding plumage - Photo:
G. Beaton
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Non-breeding plumage -
Photo: R. Rodrφguez Mojica
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Photo: G. Beaton
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References Bent, A.C. 1927. Life histories of North American shore birds, part 1. Smithsonian Instit. U.S. National Museum Bull. 142. (Reprinted by Dover Press, NY, 1962). Collazo, J.A., B.A. Harrington, J. Grear, and J.A. Colón. 1995. Abundance and distribution of shorebirds at the Cabo Rojo salt flats, Puerto Rico. J. Field Ornithol. 66:424-438. del Hoyo, J., A. Elliott, and J. Sargatal, eds. 1996. Handbook of Birds of the World, Vol. 3. Hoatzin to Auks. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. Ehrlich, P.R., D.S. Dobkin, and D. Wheye. 1988. The birderÆs handbook: a field guide to the natural history of North American birds. Simon and Schuster/Fireside, NY. Hayman, P., J. Marchant, and T. Prater. 1986. Shorebirds: an identification guide. Houghton Mifflin, Boston. Jehl, Jr., J .R. , J. Klima, and R. E. Harris. 2001. Short-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus griseus). No. 564 in The birds of North America (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA. Paulson, D. 1993. Shorebirds of the Pacific Northwest. Univ Washington, Seattle. Raffaele, H.A. 1989. A guide to the birds of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Princeton. Raffaele, H.A. 1989. Una guía a las aves de Puerto Rico y las Islas Vírgenes. Publishing Resources, Inc., Santurce, PR. Raffaele, H.A., J.W. Wiley, O.H. Garrido, A.R. Keith, and J.I. Raffaele. 1998. Guide to the birds of the West Indies. Princeton. Saliva, J.E. 1994. Vieques y su fauna: Vieques wildlife manual. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Boquerón, PR. Wunderle, J.M., Jr., R.B. Waide, and J. Fernández. 1989. Seasonal abundance of shorebirds in the Jobos estuary in southern Puerto Rico. J. Field Ornithol. 60:329-339. Short-billed Dowitcher, Spanish text Next related species in taxonomic order Previous related species in taxonomic order |