Long-billed Dowitcher

The Long-billed Dowitcher is a Sandpiper that is not very aptly named. Although female Long-billed Dowitchers indeed have very long bills, the bills of the males are not much larger than the bills of Short-billed Dowitchers. The bills of these birds are at least twice the length of their head.

About Long-billed Dowitchers

These birds are known for the distinctive sewing machine motion they make while feeding. Long-billed Dowitchers mostly feed in tundra regions. Other unique behaviors of these sandpipers are their comparatively late shore migrations and the molting of their wings when they are migrating during fall.

In the late 19th century and the early 20th century, the numbers of these birds were sharply declining due to overhunting. Now, the populations of these birds are somewhat stable, and their breeding range is slightly expanding northward. Despite this, these birds are identified as vulnerable as there has been a great loss of their habitat in the western States. Specimens of Long-billed Dowitchers from California and Texas were studied, and alarmingly high levels of contaminants were found in their bodies. This is definitely going to cause adverse biological effects in these birds.

Long-billed Dowitchers perform a very demonstrative courtship display in which they fly with agility and speed. This display involves 2-3 males chasing a female while calling loudly. After mating, the male hovers above the ground and sings a song. As these birds nest in low densities not much more is known about their breeding habits.

MtDNA evidence suggests that Long-billed Dowitchers and Short-billed Dowitchers separated almost 4 million years ago. The divergent mitochondrial DNA patterns between these species led to a great amount of investigation by ornithologists.

Both Short-billed Dowitchers and Long-billed Dowitchers are quite similar in appearance, despite inhabiting different ecological systems. Short-billed Dowitchers are more commonly found in salt-water wetlands, and open mudflats are their feeding grounds. In contrast, Long-Billed Dowitchers are found in freshwater wetlands, and when these birds visit marine habitats, they are common in small pools and salt-marshes with emergent vegetation.

Common breeding areas for Short-billed Dowitchers are Alaska and Yukon, the Maritime Provinces, and central Canada, whereas for Long-billed Dowitchers they are along with coastal western and northern Alaska to eastern Siberia. Till the 1950s these birds were considered to be from the same species. Let’s learn a little more about these Long-billed Dowitchers.

● Long-billed Dowitchers Photos, Color Pattern, Song

● Long-billed Dowitchers Size, Eating behavior, Habitat
● Long-billed Dowitchers Range and Migration, Nesting

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Long-billed Dowitchers Color Pattern

Adult Long-billed Dowitchers have a number of plumages, and in all of them, a whitish supercilium and a dark stripe continue beyond the eye. Their tails have black-and-white bars, and they have a white coloration on their rump which continues till the middle of their back.

Between May to late August or September, you can see Long-billed Dowitchers in their breeding plumage. During this time, the adults have a dark crown, brown belly, chest, and neck. Under the belly, you can see black on their chests, and distinctive white barring on their flanks, especially when the breeding plumage is fresh, and signs of wear are not yet visible. As the plumage feathers wear out, the black coloration becomes a fainter dark-reddish coloration.

Brown, black, and buff markings are on the back and crown. Black, white, and buff spots or smears are on the upper back and wings of these birds. Overall, this gives them a dark brown coloration.

During winter, the plumage of the Long-billed Dowitcher is very similar to the plumage of the Short-billed Dowitcher. In their winter plumage, the adults have a predominantly drab gray appearance. The upperparts and breasts are darker, and their belly is white. As the gray of the breast extends towards the chin, it becomes lighter in color. Juveniles look similar to adults but paler.

Description and Identification

These medium-sized shorebirds belong to the Sandpiper family. As discussed before, these birds look identical to Short-billed Dowitchers. By observing the bill size, females might be easily distinguished, but the same can’t be said for males.

The easiest manner of distinguishing these birds is by listening to their flight call. This is especially helpful during winter, because around this time it is even tougher to tell them apart. Long-billed Dowitchers are darker than Short-billed Dowitchers in all their plumages but it is still very difficult to distinguish these birds solely based on their
appearance.

On average, more barring is present on the tail feathers of Long-billed Dowitchers, but even within individuals of the same species barring is quite variable, so it isn’t the best basis to differentiate between these two species.

Long-billed Dowitcher Song

Long-billed Dowitchers have a distinctive call that has 1 or 2 sharp or strident keek notes. Sometimes, juveniles and adults can also vocalize this call in 3 notes. In contrast, Short-billed Dowitchers whistle “tu-tu-tu” or “teu-teu-teu”. Short-billed Dowitchers also have a very explosive alarm call, that sounds like a “keek” call. The notes of their songs can be phonetized as “pee-witch-er”. This call represents their name.

The primary song of Long-billed Dowitchers has a brief introduction which has a series of small elements, a broad frequency range that increases and decreases rapidly. After the introduction, the song becomes more complex.

The song is a doublet in which the first part fit rapidly increases in frequency and then levels off, the second part of the song has a rise and fall. The peak amplitude of both parts seems to be the same. The geographical range does not affect the rendition of this song. Long-billed Dowitchers are perhaps more vocal than Short-Billed Dowitchers. Short-billed Dowitchers are silent while on the ground, but Long-billed Dowitchers make a “keek” or “tu” call from the ground. Long-billed Dowitchers also often call when they are roosting, feeding, or during flight. Often they sing directly over their territory.

Songs of Long-billed Dowitchers and Short-billed Dowitchers have buzzy elements. Phonetically, the song sounds like a “peet-peet, pee-ter-wee-too, wee-too, per-ter-wee-too, per-ter-wee-too, wee-too, wee-too”. The sequence of their song is also similar to the song of Least Sandpipers. Long-billed Dowitchers can sing while resting at stopover sites during spring migration. They loudly call while competing for females.

Long-billed Dowitcher Size

Long-billed Dowitchers are small Sandpipers. On average, they are 11.4 inches in length, and their wingspan ranges between 18.5-19.3 inches. They generally weigh around 3.1-4.6 ounces. Female Long-billed Dowitchers are slightly heavier, and they possess longer wings and bills.

Long-billed Dowitcher Behavior

They are monogamous, as most other Sandpipers are. Perhaps they are also less aggressive than other shorebirds that nest in tundra habitats.

Long-billed Dowitcher mostly walks while foraging, and sometimes they also run. They mostly roost on one leg, and sometimes they even forage while standing on one leg. These birds are pretty good at flying. Long-billed Dowitchers fly in tight and coordinated flocks. They are able to evade predators due to their swift flight.

Sometimes these birds might swim across small water bodies. They spend 3-5% of their time maintaining their body. They practice many body-maintenance activities other than anting also.

Long-billed Dowitchers sleep with their bill carefully tucked under their scapulars. While sleeping, one eye is always pointing towards the sky, this eye is to scan for predators. These birds often don’t roost alone, they can either be in mixed-species flocks, or in small groups.

They spend most of their time foraging, and they spend the other big chunk of their time resting. These sandpipers are very rarely aggressive. Perhaps they aren’t that aggressive because they travel in smaller flocks so there is not as much scope for aggressive interactions. Sometimes, males and females accompany other pairs to feeding areas. These birds immediately establish their territory once they reach their wintering or breeding grounds. During the breeding season, these birds are not very social. During winter, Long-billed Dowitchers are at risk of being predated by Merlins, Short-eared Owls, and Peregrine Falcons.

Long-billed Dowitcher Diet

Long-billed Dowitchers mostly eat insects and aquatic invertebrates. Using their long bills, they probe into sandy, wet, or muddy substrates. These birds probe very deeply to find invertebrates. During non-breeding seasons, night feeding is quite common for these Sandpipers. This is possible because of their excellent night vision.

Animal matter eaten on their breeding grounds includes midges, various kinds of worms, beetles, small crustaceans, and caterpillars. While preparing for migration, they eat mollusks, amphipods, and polychaete worms. These Sandpipers also include very small quantities of plant matter into their diet.

Long-billed Dowitcher Habitat

Long-billed Dowitchers mostly nest in sedge meadows in eastern Siberia, northwestern Canada, and northern Alaska. They inhabit wet meadows in foothills and lowlands. Freshwater ponds need to be present in the vicinity for foraging.

After the nesting period is over, Long-billed Dowitchers move toward coastal areas, where they forage in estuaries, saltwater environments, and lakes. In winter, and during migration they are quite common in freshwater environments. Commonly, they use marshes, flooded fields, ponds, sewage ponds, and lakes. Occasionally, they can be found on tidal flats, river mouths, and river margins.

Range and Migration

Long-billed Dowitchers are mostly found in North America. Their breeding range extends along the coast from western and northern Alaska to Hooper Bay and western Mackenzie. From there, it goes southwards to the foothills of Brooks Range. They are also found in eastern Siberia.

Compared to Short-billed Dowitchers, these birds will begin spring migration earlier and migrate late during the fall season. Spring migration generally occurs between February and May. Fall migrations usually occur from July to October. Adults begin migrating earlier than juveniles.

Long-billed Dowitcher Lifecycle

For Long-billed Dowitchers, pair formation occurs on the breeding grounds, although in Siberia some birds arrive already paired. These Sandpipers begin laying eggs between late May to mid-June. On average, females lay about 3-4 eggs per clutch. Long-billed Dowitchers only raise one brood annually.

The length of the egg is usually between 1.6-1.7 inches, and the color of the eggs is olive-green or bluish with some brown spots. These spots are more concentrated at the large end of the eggs. These eggs are incubated for 21-22 days by the males.

Shortly after laying eggs, females abandon nests. Males care for the nestlings for at least a month after the female leaves. If the broods are especially late, then the males might leave their young before they fledge. The oldest recorded Long-billed Dowitcher lived till the age of 7.

Nesting

Long-billed Dowitchers construct their nests in wet vegetation, by the edge of a small pond. The nest is placed in a depression in marsh grasses. Then, it is lined with sedges, grasses, and small leaves. The nest is 2.2 inches deep, and 4.5 inches in diameter.

Anatomy of a Long-billed Dowitcher

Long-billed Dowitchers are small Sandpipers with long beaks. Their legs are long and lean.

Final Thoughts

Long-billed Dowitchers are marvelous birds that have a very striking appearance. As these birds are always breeding in remote areas, spotting them would be delightful for a birdwatcher. Imagine coming across this bird in the city. Wouldn’t it be a great surprise?

Ornithology

Bird Watching Academy & Camp Subscription Boxes

At the Bird Watching Academy & Camp we help kids, youth, and adults get excited and involved in bird watching. We have several monthly subscription boxes that you can subscribe to. Our monthly subscription boxes help kids, youth, and adults learn about birds, bird watching, and bird conservation.

Bird Watching Binoculars for Identifying Long-billed Dowitchers

The most common types of bird watching binoculars for viewing Long-billed Dowitchers are 8×21 binoculars and 10×42 binoculars. Bird Watching Academy & Camp sells really nice 8×21 binoculars and 10×42 binoculars. You can view and purchase them here.

Long-billed Dowitcher Iron On Patches

Kids, Youth, and Adults love to collect our Bird Watching Academy & Camp iron on patches. Our bird watching patches help you keep track of the birds you have seen an identified. You can also display the patches on our Bird Watching Academy & Camp banners.

The Long-billed Dowitcher is a great iron on patch to start your collection with. The patches are durable and can be sewn on or ironed on to just about anything.

Long-billed Dowitcher Stickers

Stickers are a great way for you to display your love for bird watching and the Long-billed Dowitcher. We sell a monthly subscription sticker pack. The sticker packs have 12 bird stickers. These sticker packs will help your kids learn new birds every month.

Bird Feeders ForLong-billed Dowitchers

There are many types of bird feeders. Bird feeders are a great addition to your backyard. Bird feeders will increase the chances of attracting birds drastically. Both kids and adults will have a great time watching birds eat at these bird feeders. There are a wide variety of bird feeders on the market and it is important to find the best fit for you and your backyard.

Bird HousesForLong-billed Dowitchers

There are many types of bird houses. Building a bird house is always fun but can be frustrating. Getting a bird house for kids to watch birds grow is always fun. If you spend a little extra money on bird houses, it will be well worth every penny and they’ll look great.