The American woodcock

The American woodcock, whether you hunt them over a gun dog or simply observe their spiraling spring mating rituals, is a fascinating and unique migratory game bird.

A study of the woodcock’s migration habits and patterns by the University of Maine, in collaboration with some other research organizations, is turning up some useful and interesting data. According to the study’s website: “Many species of North American birds (37 percent) are declining and migratory birds are declining at faster rates than many non-migratory bird species. The American woodcock is a migratory forest bird that has experienced population-wide, long-term declines of 0.8 percent per year over the past 50 years. Woodcock are distributed throughout the Eastern United States.”