Greater Yellowlegs As you have already guessed, “yellow legs” are a … © Jay McGowan | Macaulay Library New York, April 11, 2017 Totally Different Birds: Greater Yellowlegs vs. Willet. 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. Feeds on mollusks, crustaceans, insects and small fish. Mantle Carvings. Look For Greater yellowlegs are larger than lesser yellowlegs, but size can be hard to judge unless both species are side by side. Copyright © 2020 Publius Research unless otherwise noted. "Smiling for the Camera" . Shorebird Decoys. Willets are brown in breeding season and become a lighter brown-gray in the fall and winter. Greater Yellowlegs are smaller than Willets, with a more slender bill and bright yellow legs (Willets have grayish legs). Its bill is long and fairly thick for a shorebird, and its legs are gray. Greater Yellowlegs (2) -Adult in winter plumage. "Crustacean Down the Hatch" . The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 banned market hunting and marked the start of the Willet’s comeback. Greater Yellowlegs (1) - Adult in winter plumage. . Greater Yellowlegs - Lesser (left) and Greater (right) Yellowlegs in winter plumage As you have already guessed, “yellow legs” are a distinguishing feature of this long-billed shorebird. Ageing of American & Eurasian Wigeons (PDF) Cackling vs Canada Goose Bill Shape. During the winter found on beaches and rocky coasts, as well as mudflats and marshes. "Long Legs and Long Toes" . If you are familiar with a Willet, the Greater Yellowlegs is roughly the same size. Willets and yellowlegs are birds similar in appearance, as are the greater and lesser yellow legs. The Willet is a large, chunky shorebird with drab plumage. Greater Yellowlegs are closer in size to the Willet, but isolated birds can be difficult to identify based on size. Found along open beaches, bayshores, marshes, mudflats, and rocky coastal zones. They are seen in Maine as they migrate. Ducks. Genus Calidris (the “peeps”) Decoy in the Spotlight. Broad white stripes on black wings are visible in flight. Two distinct populations inhabit North America, one nesting in prairie marshes, the other in salt marshes along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts. And of final note, the Greater Yellowlegs has a harsh call vs. the Lesser Yellowlegs which has a mellower tone. - thicker bill. Greater Yellowlegs (3) - Adult in winter plumage. "A… Large shorebird with a long, straight bill. Some scientists believe these two … Read more Required fields are marked *. "Run Willet Run" . "Willet On The Run" . "Those seeking cold, hard statistics on Maine communities won't be disappointed." Willets and yellowlegs are birds similar in appearance, as are the greater and lesser yellow legs. Large, stocky shorebird with long legs and a thick, straight bill. Flight is short and low, alternating rapid wing beats with glides. Birds in flight have a distinctive black-and-white wing pattern. 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. The Willet, which belongs to the sandpiper family, and the Short Billed-Dowitcher initially posed the largest challenge for me to tell apart. 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. Articles about Maine history, government, ecology, economy, recreation, towns, natural features, famous people, sports, with maps, photos, and videos. Another ID point is the more extensive bars on the Greater Yellowlegs flanks. It is similar in height to a Greater Yellowlegs, but heavier and with a shorter neck. A white rump and tail is common to both. They also tend to be larger, but some overlap in size exists. 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. Greater vs Lesser Scaup (PDF) Green-winged vs Common Teal - David Sibley. Decoy vs. Wildfowl Model. Sexes are similar. Your email address will not be published. That is one big, lanky, pale willet. A different angle of the bill. These long-legged, straight-billed shorebirds feed along beaches, mudflats, and rocky shores. 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. Large, stocky shorebird. Eastern Willets (T. s. semipalmata) breed on the Atlantic coast and the Gulf of Mexico and north to Newfoundland in Canada. Though of similar size, their gray legs and thicker bills distinguish them from the Greater Yellowlegs. 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. We observed a large variety of birds including plovers, turnstones, sandpipers, dowitchers, yellowlegs and Whimbrel and American Oystercatcher. Both have long, bright yellow legs. 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. Piercing calls and distinctive wing markings make the otherwise subdued Willet one of our most conspicuous large shorebirds. Cackling vs Canada Goose - David Sibley. 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. 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 . That is one big, lanky, pale willet. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Greater Yellowlegs - First year bird in worn juvenile plumage. Specifically, the smoothly rounded contours of the breast and back, the thick chest, and the slim, very straight bill are all indicative of Western. While the plumage of this bird may be somewhat equivocal, I believe structure clearly indicates Western Willet. Lessers appear delicate in every way, including the all-dark needle-thin bill. Eastern Willet: - more compact shape, averages smaller size. American Avocets are slimmer and more boldly marked than Willets, with a much thinner, upturned 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). Large, stocky shorebird with long legs and a thick, straight bill. Greater Yellowlegs have a bill that is about twice the length of its head, and sometimes shows a slight upward curve. Whimbrels are browner than Willets, with a clearly downcurved bill and a striped head, whereas Willets have a straight bill and a plain head. It's difficult to determine that the Willet is a miniature without the accompanying Yellowlegs for … 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) Waterfowl ID - Ducks Unlimited. Western Willet vs. Eastern Willet. 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. BirdForum - The net's largest birding community, dedicated to wild birds Juveniles in the West are grayer overall than those in the East. Waterfowl ID. —Bangor Daily News. Breeding birds in the West have lighter barring on the breast and lighter mottling on the back. 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. Marbled Godwits are buffier, almost cinnamon-colored unlike the grayish Willet. It tends to be more heavily barred than the lesser and tends to be loner. Plain brownish gray shorebird often found along beaches and rocky coasts during migration and winter months. A different angle of the bill. This video shows a "ballet" between a Lesser and Greater, with a Willet thrown… Wildlife Dioramas. 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. Shorebirds. The Greater Yellowlegs (approxiately Willet size) is considerably larger than the Lesser Yellowlegs (approximately Dowitcher size). A lot of people have trouble separating these two species in the field. Yellowlegs Bird Identification Q&A. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. 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 Subspecific ID of the Willet (PDF) Why are Yellowlegs hard to identify? Greaters also have a longer, thicker bill, especially at the base, that is often two-tone. Breeding birds in the East have heavy barring on the breast and heavy mottling on the back. Nonbreeding birds are grayish brown overall with few markings. These Willets came in two different colors: grayish brown with few markings and grayish brown with more brown mottling and markings. Browse topics related to the bicentennial. The bill of the Lesser Yellowlegs is not significantly longer than the diameter of its head, whereas the Greater Yellowlegs' bill is much longer. "My Shadow" . This one stopped in Harpswell in October of 2009. Tringa semipalmata Two forms of Willet breed in North America. (3) Michael O'Brien writes: This Ontario Willet is a good example of a bird in which structure is more distinctive than plumage. 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. BirdForum is the net's largest birding community, dedicated to wild birds and birding, and is absolutely FREE! It is mottled gray all over, with heavier barring in breeding plumage than in winter. These two birds breed in Canada and winter along the southern coast of the United States, and in Mexico and South America. 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. Eastern birds tend to be smaller, but there is some overlap. 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. Often sleeps with its bill tucked under its wing. The willet below was seen in Scarborough Marsh in July of 2010. Listen For Voice is the best way to tell these birds apart. Juveniles in the East are browner overall than juveniles in the West. The Western form (T. s. inornata) breeds in freshwater habitats of the interior western USA and Canada’s prairie provinces. In flight, the white stripe on an avocet’s wing does not come all the way to the tip as it does on Willets. 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. Similar to: Greater Yellowlegs. 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". Greater Yellowlegs are smaller than Willets, with a more slender bill and bright yellow legs (Willets have grayish legs).