Sandpipers · Shorebirds
Eurasian Woodcock
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Scolopax rusticola
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Voice
Song
Song
Call
How to recognize it
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Body length 33–38 cm; compact build
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Reddish-brown mottled back, buff underparts; black bars across the head
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Long straight bill; eyes set high and far back on the sides of the head
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In woodland, flies fast with twists and frequent flutters of broad, rounded wings
About the species
Among fallen leaves, the Eurasian woodcock's reddish-brown back is finely mottled, while its underside is buff with dark crossbars. A long, straight bill points down from a head barred in black. Its large eyes sit high and far back, giving it a view in nearly every direction. In flight, the wings look broad and rounded.
Usually solitary and hard to spot by day, it feeds at dusk and through the night, probing soft soil with its sensitive bill for worms. In spring, males fly over the trees at dusk, calling "orr, orr, orr, pist"; when flushed, it takes off with whirring wings and may twist and flutter through the woods.
It breeds in dense deciduous or mixed woods with damp ground and thick undergrowth, and feeds in woodland thickets and nearby grassland. Earthworms make up most of its diet, alongside insects and their larvae. Populations in milder western Europe often stay year-round, while northern populations migrate south for winter.
Where to find
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In spring at dusk, listen at forest edges and clearings outside town for the male Eurasian Woodcock's croaking notes and high whistle as it flies above the treetops.
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In dense, damp woodland by the marshy bank of a small water body, at dusk or after dark, watch for slow steps and a bill probing soft soil.
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In winter, scan dense scrub outside town by day for a still shape among the ground cover — camouflage can make it hard to spot.
