"Those seeking cold, hard statistics on Maine communities won't be disappointed." The Willet is a large, chunky shorebird with drab plumage. A white rump and tail is common to both. Your email address will not be published. Both have long, bright yellow legs. Browse topics related to the bicentennial. Willets and yellowlegs are birds similar in appearance, as are the greater and lesser yellow legs. Shorebirds. Articles about Maine history, government, ecology, economy, recreation, towns, natural features, famous people, sports, with maps, photos, and videos. Killdeer, Yellowlegs, Godwit, Sandpipers, Dowitchers, Snipe, and Willet (Species Images - Contact us for Additional Samples) Fledgling Killdeer (Image 216033) Killdeer (Image 216008) Killdeer on Nest (Image 212332) Killdeer on Nest (Image 211782) Killdeer (Image 211674) Decoy vs. Wildfowl Model. Greater vs Lesser Scaup (PDF) Green-winged vs Common Teal - David Sibley. You are most welcome to register for an account, which allows you to take part in lively discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more. Ageing of American & Eurasian Wigeons (PDF) Cackling vs Canada Goose Bill Shape. Waterfowl ID. Sexes are similar. Wildlife Dioramas. Ducks. Eastern Willet: - more compact shape, averages smaller size. Peter E. Lowther, Hector D. Douglas III, and Cheri L. Gratto-Trevor Version: 1.0 — Published March 4, 2020 Text last updated January 1, 2001 Juveniles in the East are browner overall than juveniles in the West. Breeding birds in the East have heavy barring on the breast and heavy mottling on the back. (3) Michael O'Brien writes: This Ontario Willet is a good example of a bird in which structure is more distinctive than plumage. Shorebird Decoys. American Avocets are slimmer and more boldly marked than Willets, with a much thinner, upturned bill. It is mottled gray all over, with heavier barring in breeding plumage than in winter. © Jay McGowan | Macaulay Library New York, April 11, 2017 Whether in mottled brown breeding plumage or gray winter colors, Willets in flight reveal a bold white and black stripe running the length of each wing. Greater Yellowlegs - Lesser (left) and Greater (right) Yellowlegs in winter plumage "Run Willet Run" . A different angle of the bill. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 banned market hunting and marked the start of the Willet’s comeback. Cackling vs Canada Goose - David Sibley. It is similar in height to a Greater Yellowlegs, but heavier and with a shorter neck. Greater Yellowlegs As you have already guessed, “yellow legs” are a … Required fields are marked *. Birds in flight have a distinctive black-and-white wing pattern. The Lesser Yellowlegs is about half the size (in weight) of the Greater Yellowlegs, which is a useful distinction when the two are seen together. The willet is an inelegant and heavily built shorebird with a structure similar to that of the common redshank but being larger in size than the greater yellowlegs while resembling a godwit in flight with black primary coverts and primaries contrasting with a broad white band, white secondaries with a white rump and gray tail band. The willet below was seen in Scarborough Marsh in July of 2010. As you have already guessed, “yellow legs” are a distinguishing feature of this long-billed shorebird. Copyright © 2020 Publius Research unless otherwise noted. Juveniles in the West are grayer overall than those in the East. We observed a large variety of birds including plovers, turnstones, sandpipers, dowitchers, yellowlegs and Whimbrel and American Oystercatcher. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Tringa semipalmata Two forms of Willet breed in North America. Greaters also have a longer, thicker bill, especially at the base, that is often two-tone. Large shorebird with a long, straight bill. Waterfowl ID - Ducks Unlimited. Willets are brown in breeding season and become a lighter brown-gray in the fall and winter. Though of similar size, their gray legs and thicker bills distinguish them from the Greater Yellowlegs. The Greater Yellowlegs (approxiately Willet size) is considerably larger than the Lesser Yellowlegs (approximately Dowitcher size). And of final note, the Greater Yellowlegs has a harsh call vs. the Lesser Yellowlegs which has a mellower tone. The Western form (T. s. inornata) breeds in freshwater habitats of the interior western USA and Canada’s prairie provinces. Western Willet vs. Eastern Willet. —Bangor Daily News. Greater Yellowlegs (3) - Adult in winter plumage. Large, stocky shorebird with long legs and a thick, straight bill. Note the long legs, size much larger than the adjacent Greater Yellowlegs, bill shape, grayish coloration, and the degree of contrast between the scaps and coverts. They are seen in Maine as they migrate. Subspecific ID of the Willet (PDF) Why are Yellowlegs hard to identify? Often sleeps with its bill tucked under its wing. It's difficult to determine that the Willet is a miniature without the accompanying Yellowlegs for … Note the long legs, size much larger than the adjacent Greater Yellowlegs, bill shape, grayish coloration, and the degree of contrast between the scaps and coverts. I had a fun time with this Willet as it ran the water's edge, hunting for a crustacean in the wet sand to eat. Look For Greater yellowlegs are larger than lesser yellowlegs, but size can be hard to judge unless both species are side by side. Its bill is long and fairly thick for a shorebird, and its legs are gray. "Long Legs and Long Toes" . Decoy in the Spotlight. The Lesser Yellowlegs has long yellow legs, long thin dark lightly upturned bill, gray-brown upperparts, neck and breast streaked with dark brown, white belly and rump. This one stopped in Harpswell in October of 2009. Willet: This large sandpiper has mottled gray-brown upperparts, white rump and lightly streaked and barred white underparts, white tail with dark brown tip, and blue-gray leg. Greater Yellowlegs (2) -Adult in winter plumage. Similar to: Greater Yellowlegs. "Smiling for the Camera" . Yellowlegs Bird Identification Q&A. Eastern birds tend to be smaller, but there is some overlap. Listen For Voice is the best way to tell these birds apart. Greater Yellowlegs - First year bird in worn juvenile plumage. Nonbreeding birds are grayish brown overall with few markings. "Willet On The Run" . "Crustacean Down the Hatch" . Greater Yellowlegs are smaller than Willets, with a more slender bill and bright yellow legs (Willets have grayish legs). These Willets came in two different colors: grayish brown with few markings and grayish brown with more brown mottling and markings. During the winter found on beaches and rocky coasts, as well as mudflats and marshes. That is one big, lanky, pale willet. "A… Found along open beaches, bayshores, marshes, mudflats, and rocky coastal zones. Willet definition is - a large American shorebird (Catoptrophorus semipalmatus) of the sandpiper family that resembles the greater yellowlegs but has a thicker bill and gray legs and that displays a black-and-white wing pattern when in flight. That is one big, lanky, pale willet. Greater Yellowlegs are closer in size to the Willet, but isolated birds can be difficult to identify based on size. Large, stocky shorebird with long legs and a thick, straight bill. It differs from the lesser yellowlegs by it size (14 inches compared to 10 1/2 inches) and by its longer bill (about one and one-half times the width of its head). Greater Yellowlegs (1) - Adult in winter plumage. While the plumage of this bird may be somewhat equivocal, I believe structure clearly indicates Western Willet. BirdForum is the net's largest birding community, dedicated to wild birds and birding, and is absolutely FREE! Breeding birds in the West have lighter barring on the breast and lighter mottling on the back. - thicker bill. A Willet standing on the beach is simply a large plain shorebird; but its identity is obvious as soon as it spreads its wings, and it even calls its name in flight. This video shows a "ballet" between a Lesser and Greater, with a Willet thrown… If you are familiar with a Willet, the Greater Yellowlegs is roughly the same size. "My Shadow" . The greater yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca) is a large North American shorebird.The genus name Tringa is the New Latin name given to the green sandpiper by Aldrovandus in 1599 based on Ancient Greek trungas, a thrush-sized, white-rumped, tail-bobbing wading bird mentioned by Aristotle.The specific melanoleuca is from Ancient Greek melas, "black", and leukos, "white". This shorebird breeds in Maine as well as in Canada, and winters along the shores of the southern United States, the Caribbean, and northern South America. BirdForum - The net's largest birding community, dedicated to wild birds Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Mantle Carvings. Two distinct populations inhabit North America, one nesting in prairie marshes, the other in salt marshes along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts. These two birds breed in Canada and winter along the southern coast of the United States, and in Mexico and South America. Genus Calidris (the “peeps”) Piercing calls and distinctive wing markings make the otherwise subdued Willet one of our most conspicuous large shorebirds. Marbled Godwits are buffier, almost cinnamon-colored unlike the grayish Willet. Lessers appear delicate in every way, including the all-dark needle-thin bill. Totally Different Birds: Greater Yellowlegs vs. Willet. Greater Yellowlegs are smaller than Willets, with a more slender bill and bright yellow legs (Willets have grayish legs). Greater Yellowlegs Berkeley, California, USA Member of the Sandpiper Family ~true bird fact~ Greater Yellowlegs are notoriously understudied by scientists because they generally live in such inhospitable, mosquito-ridden, and generally unpleasant-to-hang-out-in places. Willets and yellowlegs are birds similar in appearance, as are the greater and lesser yellow legs. The Willet, which belongs to the sandpiper family, and the Short Billed-Dowitcher initially posed the largest challenge for me to tell apart. They also tend to be larger, but some overlap in size exists. In flight, the white stripe on an avocet’s wing does not come all the way to the tip as it does on Willets. Flight is short and low, alternating rapid wing beats with glides. These long-legged, straight-billed shorebirds feed along beaches, mudflats, and rocky shores. Specifically, the smoothly rounded contours of the breast and back, the thick chest, and the slim, very straight bill are all indicative of Western. Greater Yellowlegs have a bill that is about twice the length of its head, and sometimes shows a slight upward curve. A different angle of the bill. The bill of the Lesser Yellowlegs is not significantly longer than the diameter of its head, whereas the Greater Yellowlegs' bill is much longer. Eastern Willets (T. s. semipalmata) breed on the Atlantic coast and the Gulf of Mexico and north to Newfoundland in Canada. Feeds on mollusks, crustaceans, insects and small fish. The Willets closest relative is the Lesser Yellowlegs, a much smaller bird with a very different appearance apart from the fine, clear and dense pattern of the neck which both species show in breeding plumage. Whimbrels are browner than Willets, with a clearly downcurved bill and a striped head, whereas Willets have a straight bill and a plain head. LESSER YELLOWLEGS GREATER YELLOWLEGS Size ≈ dowitcher “tu-tu” (x1 or 2 tu) calls Size > dowitcher ≈ Black-necked Stilt ... With Willet With Piping Plover Beware of strong, angled lighting With Semipalmated making the upperparts appear dark Sandpiper in spring . . Large, stocky shorebird. It tends to be more heavily barred than the lesser and tends to be loner. Another ID point is the more extensive bars on the Greater Yellowlegs flanks. Their bills are even longer than the Willets’ bill (at least twice the length of the head), reddish at the base, and turned slightly upward at the end. A lot of people have trouble separating these two species in the field. Broad white stripes on black wings are visible in flight. Some scientists believe these two … Read more Plain brownish gray shorebird often found along beaches and rocky coasts during migration and winter months. Form ( T. s. semipalmata ) breed on the back in appearance, as the... 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