Every spring, one of the most bizarre birds in the world can be heard making its presence known at right about the time it’s too dark to see. That bird is the Woodcock also known as the timberdoodle. There are actually several species of woodcocks worldwide, but the American woodcock is the only one that is regularly found in the continental US. and while a fair number of people are familiar with these birds, far fewer people actually know just how insanely weird they really are. In this video I’m going to share 5 things with you that you may not have known about woodcocks, and be sure to stay for the last one because I think it’s going to shock you.
1. They have flexible bills
People generally think of bird bills as rigid tools used for crushing and opening food items like seeds and nuts. However, the long bill of the woodcock is actually extremely pliable, especially the end of the bill. They use this specialized appendage to pull up earthworms and other small creatures from leaf litter and even from under the soil. Possibly the most impressive thing is that woodcocks can open up the very end of the bill independently from the base of the bill, meaning they don’t need to pull their bill out of the substrate to pick food out of the ground.
2. They are Performers
Most people encounter woodcocks not because they see them but because they hear them. Each spring, these birds perform mating displays that consist of two separate things. First, they find a nice spot in a field and start peenting. While they peent, they turn around in a circle to project that peent to as many females as possible, that’s part 1. Part two is the sky display. The woodcock flies up into the night sky, and uses specialized feathers to create unique chirping and whistling noises. They then come back down to earth where they resume peenting. In addition to these performances, they also have a funny way of looking like they’re dancing, as they rhythmically sway while they walk. This is thought to potentially cause earthworms to move beneath the ground, thus helping them find food. It also could have to do with trying to look like leaves moving in the breeze, but either way, put it to music and it looks hilarious.
3. They’re shorebirds
You may be wondering, where do woodcocks fit in when it comes to classification. They are actually grouped in with shorebirds and sandpipers in particular. This is kind of funny because they spend virtually no time on beaches and shorelines but rather in young deciduous forests, damp fields, and meadows. It’s worth noting that there is a woodcock look alike that does spend more time around where shorebirds are usually found and that’s the snipe, so if you see something that looks like a woodcock in flooded fields and pond edges it just might be a snipe instead. It’s kind of funny to have a shorebird that you need to find inland but this is the case for woodcocks.
4. They have an outrageous field of view
One of the things that makes woodcocks look so unique is the position of their eyes. They are high and to the back of their head. This allows them to look up and watch out for potential predators while they are searching the substrate for food. Amazingly, their unique eyes actually allow them to have a 360 degree field of vision, meaning they can see in literally every direction.
5. Their brain is upside down
With those large eyes being in such a different position than most birds, the make up of the woodcocks brain is wildly different than it is for most birds too. With other species, the ears and cerebellum (the part of the brain that controls voluntary muscle movement and balance among other things) are behind their eyes and near the back of their head, for the woodcock they are actually underneath their eyes. The cerebellum is positioned right above their spinal column, essentially meaning that their brain is flipped upside down in their head. Which for some reason feels like it just fits this wacky and wonderful species
I said it before, but American Woodcocks really are probably the weirdest bird in North America and a species that is just so cool to see, hear, and learn more about. I hope you learned something you didn’t know and If you liked this video consider signing up for our email list to get updates on all things Badgerland Birding, and as always thanks for watching, we’ll see you next time on Badgerland Birding.