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My Favorite: I'm calling it! In South Dakota, the majority of Dowitchers we see are Long-billed. When I see a Dowitcher, I always start with the assumption it's Long-billed, and then, if I can get photos, look for evidence to the contrary. I don't have a huge number of Dowitcher photos overall, but I do have this very clear one, which I am calling a Short-billed. Much of that is because of the bill...not necessarily the length (which does seem short compared to many Dowitchers), but because of the droop on the last 1/3rd of the bill, and a bill that looks more stout (particularly towards the base). There are other supposed identification keys, that even when I look at web pages devoted to differentiating the two, don't seem very diagnostic! Some claim Long-billed Dowitchers are more apt to have a "dip" at the base of the tail, while a Short-billed Dowitcher has a back that's more straight, from shoulder to tail tip, but that's SO dependent on position of the bird.
There's not many birds I have trouble identifying any more, and NO birds really I have trouble identifying once I have a photo this good! These guys are tough though!
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Short-billed Dowitcher 1 |
Short-billed Dowitcher 2 |
Short-billed Dowitcher 3 |
Short-billed Dowitcher 4 |
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May 4th, 2015 |
May 4th, 2019 |
May 4th, 2019 |
May 4th, 2019 |
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Newton Hills State Park, South Dakota |
Western Minnehaha County, South Dakota |
Western Minnehaha County, South Dakota |
Western Minnehaha County, South Dakota |
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Showing identification keys of drooping bill, white edging creeping up coverts and scauplars |
Lone adult in breeding plumage, patrolling shallow water at the edge of a wetland |
Lone breeding plumaged adult standing at the edge of a flooded pasture |
Lone adult in breeding plumage, probing in dead vegetation at a wetland shoreline |
Click here for the species description page for the Short-billed Dowitcher.
All photos copyrighted! Click for information on commerical usage, or usage for other personal purposes.
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Please mail any comments/suggestions/additional links for this page to: Terry L. Sohl
