American Woodcock (Scolopax minor):

This woodland-loving shorebird has an extremely long bill and large eyes placed high on its head.  With very short legs, a round body, and no apparent neck, this unusual looking bird is brilliantly camouflaged against the leaf litter and grasses.  The typical habitat of the American Woodcock is wet thickets, moist woods, and brushy swamps.  After digging a shallow nest in the moist ground, the female woodcock will lay 1-5 grayish-orange eggs with splotches of brown.

While the American Woodcock can be difficult to spot on the ground, they are hard to miss in the sky.  The male woodcock’s unique display flight begins on the ground of semi-open fields and pastures at dusk, where he gives a buzzy “peeent” call.  After the call, he flies straight upward in a wide spiral to 200-350 feet in the air.  At the peak of his flight, where he is usually not visible, the male woodcock zigzags downward while chirping.  Finally, he lands completely silently in the exact spot he took off from.  This display not only attracts female woodcocks, but also people from all around the eastern US gather to watch this sky dance of springtime.