There were hundreds if not thousands of birds
This photo was taken on the beach at Longboat Key in Florida just off the coast of Sarasota. I took this on the same trip that I took the photo of the American white ibis. There were hundreds if not thousands of birds that would rest, fly, and feed on the beach here every single day. I was excited to see this and other willets, because I was unfamiliar with these fun birds with long bills. They were intermingled with the ten plus species of birds that were there on the shore, and it was quite a challenge to get a solitary photo of this bird.
The willet belongs to the Scolopacidae family of shorebirds and waders. Most of the species in this family are known as sandpipers, but it also includes woodcocks, curlews, and snipes. They are characterized by their long bills which allow them to eat small invertebrates that they pick out of sand, mud, or soil. The scientific name for the willet is Tringa semipalmata. There are two recognized subspecies: the eastern willet and the western willet.
The willet is found in saltmarshes, freshwater prairie marshes, sloughs, potholes, and other inland wetlands. Willets live in both North America and South America. They live along the Atlantic and Pacific coast. Their range spreads from Canada south to Chile. They are known to have vagabonded to Europe, with records of them being spotted in Portugal, France, Norway, and Finland.
The willet is a heavily built bird that has colors to match its surroundings. When flying, you can see their distinctive bands on their wings. They alternate between dark brown, white, and dark brown. They have a speckled dark and light brown appearance when wading. They have a black bill and black or yellow feet. If you look closely at their eyes, you will notice a whitish ring around the eye.
Willets live in both North America and South America
Did you know?
- The onomatopoeia for the willet is pill will willet. This is where its name comes from.
- The egg of a willey will hatch after 22 to 29 days.
- The population of willets declined in the 1960s, but their numbers have since recovered in most places. There are more than 250,000 willets in North America.
- Willets feed on crabs as a large part of their diet.
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