Unlike in most birds, the tip of the bill's upper mandible is flexible. Unlike its coastal relatives, this plump little shorebird lives in young forests and shrubby old fields across eastern North America. Massachusetts Wildlife Climate Action Tool. Top-requested sites to log in to services provided by the state. [8], Migrating birds' arrival at and departure from the breeding range is highly irregular. The population of the American woodcock has fallen by an average of slightly more than 1% annually since the 1960s. Orn. In 2008 wildlife biologists and conservationists released an American Woodcock Conservation Plan presenting figures for the acreage of early successional habitat that must be created and maintained in the U.S. and Canada to stabilize the woodcock population at current levels, and to return it to 1970s densities. The woodcock population remained high during the early and mid-twentieth century, after many family farms were abandoned as people moved to urban areas, and cropfields and pastures grew up in brush. Ernie Foster is a Massachusetts native and passionate member of the Ruffed Grouse Society and American Woodcock Society. Woodcock migrate at night. The American woodcock (Scolopax minor), sometimes colloquially referred to as the timberdoodle, the bogsucker, the hokumpoke, and the Labrador twister, is a small chunky shorebird species found primarily in the eastern half of North America. [12] Most individuals arrive on the wintering range by mid-December. Established in 1961, the Ruffed Grouse Society is North America’s foremost conservation organization dedicated to preserving our sporting traditions by creating healthy forest habitat for ruffed grouse, American woodcock and other wildlife. Yet, according the State of the Birds report, there may be trouble ahead for this beloved bird as more old field habitats they depend for their singing grounds are disappearing. Learn More Mass.gov® is a registered service mark of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Stratton • Hunt the western Maine Mountains for grouse and woodcock. One of the American Woodcock's more colorful folk names is timberdoodle, probably for the bird's forest-edge haunts, erratic flight, and twittering call notes. Early History of the Woodcock family. U.S. American woodcock live in wet thickets, moist woods, and brushy swamps. [8] The nape of the head is black, with three or four crossbars of deep buff or rufous. Scolopax minor . Plump, camouflaged shorebird that favors wooded or shrubby areas often next to fields. They develop quickly and can make short flights after two weeks, can fly fairly well at three weeks, and are independent after about five weeks. Related to the sandpipers, but strikingly different in habits. Their eyes are located on the sides of their heads, which gives them 360° vision. Habitat use, home range size, and patterns of moves of the American Woodcock in Maine. It is a summary of and recommendations for woodcock conservation in North America. Archery equipment: Expanding broadheads are legal. [4] Ideal habitats feature early successional habitat and abandoned farmland mixed with forest. Both the underside of the upper mandible and the long tongue are rough-surfaced for grasping slippery prey. Exceptionally long bill, ideal for pulling up worms. They forage by probing in soft soil in thickets, where they usually remain well-hidden from sight. Although a few from the farthest regions may wait out an exceptionally mild winter in some states along the way, most woodcock will continue the journey south to traditional wintering grounds. Hunting hours begin at sunrise and end at sunset on Wildlife Management Areas (WMA's) stocked with pheasant or quail, otherwise hunting hours begin ½ hour before sunrise and ends at sunset for all migratory birds. The male woodcock plays no role in selecting a nest site, incubating eggs, or rearing young. After migrating south in autumn, most woodcock spend the winter in the Gulf Coast and southeastern Atlantic Coast states. Hunting is prohibited on Sundays. [13], In Spring, males occupy individual singing grounds, openings near brushy cover from which they call and perform display flights at dawn and dusk, and if the light levels are high enough on moonlit nights. Woodcocks spend most of their time on the ground in brushy, young-forest habitats, where the birds' brown, black, and gray plumage provides excellent camouflage. Incubation takes 20 to 22 days. [6], The American woodcock is not considered globally threatened by the IUCN. Population trends have been measured through springtime Breeding Bird Surveys and, in the northern breeding range, springtime singing-ground surveys. At the turn of the century, the American Woodcock was a vanishing bird, principally due to unregulated spring shooting and wetland drainage. Birds start to leave for winter by September, but some remain until mid-November. [6], Creating young-forest habitat for American woodcock helps more than 50 other species of wildlife that need early successional habitat during part or all of their life cycles. The woodcock winters mainly in the southeast U.S. [5] Wingspan ranges from 16.5-18.9 in (42-48 cm). Singing grounds must lie close to areas … They live in thickets, wooded swamps and wet forested areas. They have also lived in Norfolk, MA and Franklin, MA plus 6 other locations. Any migratory game birds not in the custody of the hunter must be tagged with the hunter’s signature, address, total number of birds by species, and dates such birds were killed. Equally abundant in winter in the Southern States, though many migrate southward. They have also lived in Newton Center, MA and Needham, MA. [8], Woodcock have large eyes located high in the head, and their visual field is probably the largest of any bird, 360° in the horizontal plane and 180° in the vertical plane. American Woodcock Scolopax minor Although the American Woodcock is widespread as a breeder in Massachusetts, the disappearance of early successional habitat and the fact that the species is still legally hunted could negatively affect it in the future. Biog., vol. The company is a Massachusetts Non-Profit Corporation, which was filed on May 6, 1952. Sometimes this bird is a tough one to find since they are extremely shy. Shotguns capable of holding more than 3 shells may not be used unless plugged with a one-piece filler which limits the gun’s total capacity to 3 shells and which cannot be removed without disassembling the gun. Most woodcock start to migrate in October, with the major push from mid-October to early November. American Woodcocks are plump, short-legged shorebirds with very long, straight bills. The American woodcock is a migratory bird species that winters along the Atlantic and Gulf coastal plains from the Carolinas to Texas and breeds in the North American temperate zone, including Massachusetts 1,2. Some may remain as far north as southern Maryland, eastern Virginia, and southern New Jersey. Northeast American Woodcock Habitat – The Eastern Flyway. Incredibly, more than 50% of all native bee species known in Massachusetts now occur at Montague Plains.” Butterflies and moths on the Massachusetts Endangered Species list have also responded positively to habitat management at the Plains, as have declining songbirds and native game birds like ruffed grouse and American woodcock. These include relatively common animals such as white-tailed deer, snowshoe hare, moose, bobcat, wild turkey, and ruffed grouse, and animals whose populations have also declined in recent decades, such as the golden-winged warbler, whip-poor-will, willow flycatcher, indigo bunting, and New England cottontail. In the primary northern breeding range, the woodcock may be the earliest ground-nesting species to breed. He was an LSU professor from 1948 to 1980 and an authority on wildlife in the wetlands.[19]. Woodcocks have stocky bodies, cryptic brown and blackish plumage and long slender bills. In the North, woodcock begin to shift southward before ice and snow seal off their ground-based food supply. [8], The primary breeding range extends from Atlantic Canada (Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and New Brunswick) west to southeastern Manitoba, and south to northern Virginia, western North Carolina, Kentucky, northern Tennessee, northern Illinois, Missouri, and eastern Kansas. Crossbows may be used by certain permanently disabled persons by permit only. [5], Woodcock inhabit forested and mixed forest-agricultural-urban areas east of the 98th Meridian. This page, Woodcock hunting regulations, is, in the scale of 1, Strongly Disagree, to 5, Strongly Agree, Professional Training & Career Development. Female, 11 7/12, 17 1/4. Ideal habitats feature young forest and abandoned farmland mixed with forest. Woodcock eat mainly invertebrates, particularly earthworms (Oligochaeta). Sepik, Greg F.; Owen, Roy & Coulter, Malcolm (1981). [8] Data suggest that the woodcock population has fallen rangewide by an average of 1.1% yearly over the last four decades. We hunt a variety of cover and your personal pace is always considered. The woodcock is a forest bird and spends the day in the woods where his cryptic coloring blends into the leaf litter. It is also a popular game bird, with about 540,000 killed annually by some 133,000 hunters in the U.S.[3], The American woodcock is the only species of woodcock inhabiting North America. This page was last edited on 3 December 2020, at 23:29. He descends, zigzagging and banking while singing a liquid, chirping song. Superbly camouflaged against the leaf litter, the brown-mottled American Woodcock walks slowly along the forest floor, probing the soil with its long bill in search of earthworms. In these fairly open sites, the males call repeatedly and launch themselves into the air during dawn-and-dusk courtship flights aimed at attracting females. For bag and possession limits, season dates, and information about the Youth Waterfowl Hunt view the migratory game bird regulations. In late summer, some woodcock roost on the ground at night in large openings among sparse, patchy vegetation. It is not uncommon to see birds around the logging roads along the way to or from your hunt. The birds head north again in February. In late summer, some woodcock roost on the ground at night in large openings among sparse, patchy vegetation. The address on file for this person is 63 Adams St., Orange, MA 01364 in Franklin County. The Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, The Ruffed Grouse Society, the Wildlife Management Institute and Cowl's Land and Lumber Company of North Amherst have teamed up in a habitat partnership to join the American Woodcock Initiative. How can you not love him. Poisoned arrows, explosive tips, bows drawn by mechanical means are prohibited. When threatened, the fledglings usually take cover and remain motionless, attempting to escape detection by relying on their cryptic coloration. Before you go hunting for woodcock, be sure you know the rules. Woodcock do not need to be individually reported. Singing grounds include log landings, clearings in wooded land, old fields, pastures, the grassy berms of country lanes and woods roads, and powerline right-of-ways. If you would like to continue helping us improve Mass.gov, join our user panel to test new features for the site. American Woodcock This bird is a very shy, stocky long-billed bird. The American woodcock is kind of a goofy-looking animal, almost resembling a Frankenstein monster assembled from the leftover parts of other birds. American woodcock have strikingly large eyes set far back on each side of its head, allo… Some observers suggest that frightened young may cling to the body of their mother, who will then take wing and carry the young to safety. All migratory game bird hunters must register with the Harvest Information Program (HIP) each calendar year. American Woodcock Conservation Plan (5MB) This plan was developed in 2008 by the Woodcock Task Force through the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. Distributed throughout the country. It is more tolerant of deforestation than other woodcocks and snipes; as long as some sheltered woodland remains for breeding, it can thrive even in regions that are mainly used for agriculture. Rarely seen well in daytime. You must wear a hunter orange cap when hunting for woodcock on WMAs where pheasant or quail are stocked during the pheasant or quail season. AMERICAN WOODCOCK, Scolopax minor, Aud. In the spring, male woodcock stake out breeding territories called singing grounds. Adults are 10 to 12 inches (25 to 30 cm) long and weigh 5 to 8 ounces (140 to 230 g). [5] The feet and toes, which are small and weak, are brownish gray to reddish brown. American woodcock. As their common name implies, the woodcocks are woodland birds. I was lucky to find this one, just by chance I saw a squirrel jump a bit on the side… Licensed woodcock, snipe, coot and waterfowl hunters must complete a HIP survey online at mass.gov/massfishhunt Extremely abundant in the Middle and Eastern Districts, as well as in the interior, where it breeds, as far as Nova Scotia. They fly at low altitudes, individually or in small, loose flocks. [8] The female broods her young and feeds them. The American woodcock (Scolopax minor), sometimes colloquially referred to as the timberdoodle, the bogsucker, the hokumpoke, and the Labrador twister,[2] is a small chunky shorebird species found primarily in the eastern half of North America. Most authorities attribute this decline to a loss of habitat caused by forest maturation and urban development. The Wildlife Management Institute (WMI) oversees regional habitat initiatives intended to boost the American woodcock's population by protecting, renewing, and creating habitat throughout the species' range. American Woodcock, A Funding Strategy (2.5MB) This strategy was developed in 2010 by the Association of Fish and Wildlife … Woodcocks spend most of their time on the ground in brushy, young-forest habitats, where the birds' brown, black, and gray plumage provides excellent camouflage. The best result we found for your search is John Cindy Woodcock Jr. age 70s in West Bridgewater, MA. Seasons of the Woodcock: The secret life of a woodland shorebird. [8] Woodcock are crepuscular, being most active at dawn and dusk. [8], It is not known how many woodcock were present in eastern North America before European settlement. Would you like to provide additional feedback to help improve Mass.gov? With an abundance of birds in the area, early October often provides the most opportunities with both species. [4], The down-covered young are precocial and leave the nest within a few hours of hatching. The chest and sides vary from yellowish white to rich tans. As a migratory bird, the American woodcock lives in the North during spring and summer but spends the cold months in the South. This form only gathers feedback about the website. Most have returned to the northern breeding range by mid-March to mid-April. But there are also lots of beech, black cherry, and hickory forest stands that work just as well. A small amount of plant food is eaten, mainly seeds. Select this result to view William A Woodcock's phone number, address, and more. After sounding a series of ground calls, the male takes off and flies from 50 to 100 yards into the air. American Woodcock Initiative . [5] Most hens lay four eggs, sometimes one to three. You must register with the Harvest Information Program (HIP) every year by taking the HIP survey if you to hunt woodcock, snipe, coot, rails, ducks, or geese. The species may be expanding its distribution northward and westward.[8]. How much do you agree with the following statements in the scale of 1, Strongly Disagree, to 5, Strongly Agree? Game bird hunters in Massachusetts keep a daily log of their hunting activities and observations of game birds while hunting bobwhite quail, pheasant, woodcock, and grouse. The American Woodcock breeds throughout New England. Male, 11, 16. This rotund, short-legged bird hides in forest thickets by day, where it uses its long bill to probe in damp soil for earthworms. A male may mate with several females. The enactment of protective legislation resulted in a resurgence of woodcock populations by the 1920s. The Migratory Game Bird Laws and Regulations are developed by both the Federal and State government. You can refer to the Migratory Game Bird Hunting regulations in the Code of Massachusetts Regulations, 321 CMR 3.02(2), the Code of Federal Regulations, 50 CFR 20 et seq and to several other provisions of the Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 131 for information about migratory game bird laws and regulations. iii. American woodcock population status, 2009. These observations will provide MassWildlife biologists with information on game bird populations across the state. Flight speeds of migrating birds have been clocked at 16 to 28 miles per hour (26 to 45 kilometers per hour). Learning About Climate Change; Fish & Wildlife Because its population has been declining, the American woodcock is considered a "species of greatest conservation need" in many states, triggering research and habitat-creation efforts in an attempt to boost woodcock populations. RGS biologists work with private landowners and state and federal agencies to improve lands for grouse, woodcock, and other wildlife that need similar habitats. [8] The bill is 2.5 to 2.75 inches (6.4 to 7.0 cm) long. The American woodcock can be found throughout Massachusetts, from the Berkshires to Nantucket. Shotgun: Migratory game birds may be hunted with shotguns no larger than 10 gauge, fired from the shoulder. [15], Woodcock fledglings begin probing for worms on their own a few days after hatching. It winters rarely on the coasts of Massachusetts and Maine. A limited number of woodcock breed as far south as Florida and Texas. Do not include sensitive information, such as Social Security or bank account numbers. To hunt quail in Massachusetts you must have certain licenses and permits, which you can buy through MassFishHunt. Keppie, D. M. & R. M. Whiting, Jr. (1994). The American Woodcock Today | Woodcock population and young forest habitat management, "American Woodcock Identification, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology", "A preliminary list of the birds of Seneca County, Ohio", Timberdoodle.org: the Woodcock Management Plan, "Landowner's Guide to Woodcock Management in the Northeast", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=American_woodcock&oldid=992186397, Native birds of the Eastern United States, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. The male's ground call is a short, buzzy peent. American Woodcock Dance Wednesday, April 20 6:30PM to 8:30PM (All ages welcome) Kelley, James; Williamson, Scot & Cooper, Thomas, eds. William is related to Jeffery S Woodcock and Janice H Woodcock as well as 3 additional people. [1][17] The estimated population is 5 million, so it is the most common sandpiper in North America. All dates are inclusive. Quick Start. p. 474. Generally gray above with darker stripes running down back, pale-orange belly, and dark markings on head. Choiniere, Joe (2006). [18], Leslie Glasgow, the assistant Secretary of the Interior for Fish, Wildlife, Parks, and Marine Resources from 1969 to 1970, wrote a dissertation through Texas A&M University on the woodcock, with research based on his observations through the Louisiana State University Agricultural Experiment Station. Another 85 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1850, 1603, 1646, 1603, 1643 and 1646 are included under the topic Early Woodcock History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. A hen will fly in and land on the ground near a singing male. Woodcocks often appear on their breeding grounds while there is still snow on the ground. John is related to Mara Williams and Lisa Marie Campbell as well as 5 additional people. In recent decades, those formerly brushy acres have become middle-aged and older forest, where woodcock rarely venture, or they have been covered with buildings and other human developments. The third result is William A Woodcock age 80+ in Boston, MA in the Back Bay neighborhood. The wings are broad and rounded compared to most other shorebirds. Within temperate regions, it is dependent on shrub-dominated and early successional habitats, where the younger forest's dense vegetation protects them from predators and allows them … O'Brien, Michael; Crossley, Richard & Karlson, Kevin (2006). Woodcock have been sighted as far north as York Factory, Manitoba, east to Labrador and Newfoundland. [4] Although classified with the sandpipers and shorebirds in Family Scolopacidae, the American woodcock lives mainly in upland settings. [11] It is believed that woodcock orient visually using major physiographic features such as coastlines and broad river valleys. Colonial agriculture, with its patchwork of family farms and open-range livestock grazing, probably supported healthy woodcock populations.[5]. [8] This high spiralling flight produces a melodious twittering sound as air rushes through the male's outer primary wing feathers.[14]. Their large heads, short necks, and short tails give them a bulbous look on the ground and in flight. Females, known as hens, are attracted to the males' displays. Keyword search . This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Woodcock research. Other items in the diet include insect larvae, snails, centipedes, millipedes, spiders, snipe flies, beetles, and ants. When hunting on WMA’s stocked with pheasant or quail, only shotguns and archery equipment are allowed. [4], The maximum lifespan of adult American woodcock in the wild is 8 years. Males may continue with their courtship flights for as many as four months running – sometimes continuing even after females have already hatched their broods and left the nest. However, the slowest flight speed ever recorded for a bird, 5 miles per hour (8 kilometers per hour), was recorded for this species. Oct. 3 - Nov.23 Its eyes are set far back on its head, allowing it to watch for danger even with its bill buried in … Melvin E. Woodcock is listed as a Treasurer with Orange Post 172 American Legion Building Assn. This page contains regulations for hunting woodcock in Massachusetts. The American Woodcock, a rotund little shorebird that rarely sees the shore, is known to some as "Timberdoodle" or even "Bogsucker." The bird’s primary breeding range takes in southern Canada, Maine and the Great Lakes region, dropping down as fa… [10], The woodcock uses its long prehensile bill to probe in the soil for food, mainly invertebrates and especially earthworms. [16], American woodcock live in wet thickets, moist woods, and brushy swamps. Your feedback will not receive a response. The head and one fully-feathered wing must remain attached to each migratory game bird while it is transported to the hunter’s home or preservation facility. Sepik, G. F. and E. L. Derleth (1993). American Woodcock. Licensed woodcock, snipe, coot and waterfowl hunters must complete a HIP survey online at mass.gov/massfishhunt. [14], The American Woodcock Conservation Plan presents regional action plans linked to Bird Conservation Regions (BCRs), fundamental biological units recognized by the U.S. North American Bird Conservation Initiative. The core of the wintering range centers on Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia. [6], The American woodcock has a plump body, short legs, a large, rounded head, and a long, straight prehensile bill. Cold fronts may prompt heavy southerly flights in autumn. To hunt quail in Massachusetts you must have certain licenses and permits, which you can buy through MassFishHunt. Mission Statement. A unique bone-and-muscle arrangement lets the bird open and close the tip of its upper bill, or mandible, while it is sunk in the ground. [8], The hen makes a shallow, rudimentary nest on the ground in the leaf and twig litter, in brushy or young-forest cover usually within 150 yards (140 m) of a singing ground. It has a very long bill with a sensitive tip to probe for earthworms and insect grubs in damp soil. Like the Midwest, quaking aspen, white birch, and maple stands still occur in the Northeast. [7] Females are considerably larger than males. The bill looks even longer when compared to its small round body, short legs, and short tail. Its many folk names include timberdoodle, bogsucker, night partridge, brush snipe, hokumpoke, and becasse.[5]. 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