Visual Search | Wizard | Browse
Bird name:

Short-billed Dowitcher

Limnodromus griseusOrder: CHARADRIIFORMES Family: Sandpipers (Scolopacidae)
Codes: Common Name: SBDO Scientific Name: LIMGRI ITIS Taxonomic No.: 176675
Short-billed Dowitcher Head Illustration

Head

Topo Map: Sandpiper-like Head
  • Bill Shape: Dagger
  • Eye Color: Dark brown.
  • Head Pattern: Eyeline, Capped, Striped, Streaked, Eyering (complete or broken)
  • Crown Color: Black with fine pale brown stripes.
  • Forehead Color: Pale brown and black.
  • Nape Color: Brown
  • Throat Color: Pale rust-brown.
  • Cere color: No Data
Splitbar

Recommended Products:

Clingers Only Feeder
Weather resistant inexpensive feeder is ideal for small birds.
Suet Delight
Easy to hang and maintain, holds all kinds of packaged suet.
Ultimate Woodpecker Feeder
Only allows woodpeckers to feed made of Inland Cedar.
The No-No Copper Feeder
Beautiful copper feeder holds 2.5 lbs of sunflower seeds.
Attracting Clingers
Short-billed Dowitcher Body Illustration

Body

Topo Map: Sandpiper-like Body
  • Length Range: 27-30 cm (10.5-12 in)
  • Weight: 108 g (3.8 oz)
  • Size: Size 3. Medium (9 - 16 in)
  • Color: Orange, White, Brown, Black, Rufous or Rust, Buff
  • Underparts: Pale rust-brown with heavy brown spots and bars.
  • Upperparts: Brown-black feathers with pale brown edges.
  • Back Pattern: Striped or streaked
  • Belly Pattern: Solid
  • Breast Pattern: Spotted or speckled, Solid
Short-billed Dowitcher Flight Illustration

Flight

Topo Map: Sandpiper-like Flight
  • Flight Pattern: Strong powerful direct flight.
  • Wingspan Range: 46-56 cm (18-22 in)
  • Wing Shape: Tapered-Wings
  • Tail Shape: Squared Tail
  • Tail Pattern: Barred
  • Upper Tail: Brown and white bars.
  • Under Tail: Brown and white.
  • Leg Color: Gray-green
.
Family Sandpiper (Scolopacidae)_blue
Species Limnodromus griseus
Length10.5 - 12 Inches
Wingspan20 Inches

Short-billed Dowitcher

Short-billed Dowitcher Breeding Adult: Large sandpiper, upperparts mottled gray, black, brown and red-brown, white rump, red-brown underparts with heavy spots, and bars (east and west coast birds have heavier barred and spotted, paler underparts and often show white bellies). Strong direct flight.

● Song: "tu-tu-tu"

● Foraging & Feeding: Short-billed Dowitcher: Diet consists mostly of insects, but also eats eggs of king and horseshoe crabs; probes mud by jabbing its long bill up and down.

● Breeding & nesting: Short-billed Dowitcher: Four brown-speckled, buff green or brown eggs are laid in a ground depression lined with grass and moss. Eggs are incubated for 21 days by the female.

● Similar species: Short-billed Dowitcher: Long-billed Dowitcher has barred flanks, rust-brown belly, thin, white wing stripes visible in flight, and longer bill.

Flight Pattern

Strong powerful direct flight.
Short-billed Dowitcher Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Short-billed Dowitcher: Breeds in southern Alaska, central interior Canada, and northern Quebec. Spends winters along coasts of California and Virginia southward. Preferred habitats include mudflats, creeks, salt marshes, and tidal estuaries.
BreedingMonogamous, Colonial
Population
MigrationMigratory
Weight3.8 Ounces
Sandpiper-like HeadX
Sandpiper-like BodyX
Sandpiper-like FlightX
4 and 6 letter alpha codesX

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Read more...
ITIS CodesX

The Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) was established in the mid-1990�s as a cooperative project among several federal agencies to improve and expand upon taxonomic data (known as the NODC Taxonomic Code) maintained by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

To find the ITIS page for a bird species go to the ITIS web site advanced search and report page at http://www.itis.gov/advanced_search.html. You can enter the TSN or the common name of the bird. It will return the ITIS page for that bird. Another way to obtain the ITIS page is to use the Google search engine. Enter the string ITIS followed by the taxonomic ID, for example "ITIS 178041" will return the page for the Allen's Hummingbird.

Read more...
Parts of a Standing birdX
Head Feathers and MarkingsX
Parts of a Flying birdX