This is the American Woodcock – The Earth-Toned Oddball with a Sky Dance
Plump, short-legged, and dressed in perfect camouflage of browns and blacks, the American Woodcock looks like a fallen leaf with eyes. But don’t let its humble appearance fool you — this bird has a secret nightlife that turns fields into theaters.
Native to eastern North America, the American Woodcock lives a quiet life in moist woodlands and overgrown meadows, probing the soil with its long, flexible bill for earthworms — its favorite food. Its eyes are unusually high and far back on its head, giving it nearly 360-degree vision — handy when you're vulnerable on the forest floor.
But it’s the courtship display that makes this bird unforgettable. At dusk in spring, males perform the “sky dance” — spiraling up into the air with a fluttery, twittering sound, then diving down while singing a strange, buzzy “peent” from the ground.
Nicknamed “timberdoodle” and “bogsucker,” the American Woodcock might not win any beauty contests — but in the world of bird behavior, it’s pure performance art.
Secretive by day, spectacular by dusk, the American Woodcock is nature’s clumsy-looking showman — a mud-lover with moves that light up the twilight sky.