Long-billed Dowitcher
Limnodromus scolopaceus
- Family
- Sandpipers and Allies (Scolopacidae)
- Order
- Charadriiformes
Overview
The long-billed dowitcher (Limnodromus scolopaceus) is a medium-sized shorebird with a relatively long bill belonging to the sandpiper family, Scolopacidae. In breeding plumage, adults are characterized by a rufous head and underparts with a darker mottled back and a large white upper rump only seen in flight. They feed in various freshwater habitats with their bill underwater in a "sewing machine" motion and have a mating display where males chase females in flight. The genus, Limnodromus is Ancient Greek from limne, "marsh" and dromos, "racer".
Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Range and habitat
Breeds wet meadows from Lena River through northeastern Siberia, St. Lawrence Island (Bering Sea; rare), western Alaska and northern Northwest Territories (north-central Canada); winters inland from the southern US through Mexico, along the Pacific coast from the Pacific Northwest south to northwestern Costa Rica, and along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts from the mid-Atlantic south to the Yucatan Peninsula.
Range description: AviList Global Avian Checklist.
Sources and further reading
- Wikipedia: Long-billed dowitcher
- eBird: sightings, maps and photos
- xeno-canto: sound recordings
- Birds of the World: full species account (subscription)
- BirdLife DataZone: status and threats
- IUCN Red List (threat status)
- AviList global checklist (taxonomy)
Last updated September 29, 2026.
