Hudsonian Godwit
Limosa haemastica
The smallest godwit, overall rather dark. Long upturned bill, red at the base with a black tip. Breeding male shows rich rufous belly and messy black, gray, and white pattern on back. Female duller. Nonbreeding birds are overall plain gray, but juveniles have more cinnamon tones. Note white eyebrow in all plumages. Most distinctive field mark is black underwing, only seen in flight. Breeds on grassy tundra in Canada and Alaska, winters in southern South America. In migration, found in flooded fields, beaches, mudflats, and shallow marshy pools, sometimes in mixed flocks with Willet or yellowlegs.
Identification
Adults have long dark legs and a long pink bill with a slight upward curve and dark at the tip. The upper parts are mottled brown and the underparts are chestnut. The tail is black and the rump is white. They show black wing linings in flight. The legs and feet are bluish-grey.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Limosa haemastica
- Authority
- (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Scolopacidae
- Genus
- Limosa
Range and habitat
- Breeding range
- NA : patchily in low Arctic bogs near treeline, w Alaska to c Canada: w, sc Alaska, n and sc NWT, sw shores of Hudson Bay in n Manitoba and n Ontario (ec Canada)
- Non-breeding range
- mainly temperate coastal wetlands of s South America; highly localized: n Peru to s Chile (e South Pacific) and s Brazil to s Argentina (w South Atlantic)
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch
Leucosticte tephrocotis
The most widespread rosy-finch. Body is the color of milk chocolate. Look for pink highlights in the wings, tail and belly. Several different populations; some have gray wrapping around the back of the head only above the eye, others have entirely gray cheek. Breeds at the highest elevations; descends to lower elevations in winter. Often in mixed flocks in winter with other rosy-finches. Feeds on seeds and insects. Look for them foraging on alpine snowfields. Visits feeders, primarily in winter.
Eastern Cattle-Egret
Ardea coromanda
Small, compact white heron with relatively short yellow bill. More often seen in dry habitats than other egrets, but also frequent in rice paddies and shallow wetlands. In the breeding season, look for bright orange head and breast, as well as a brighter bill. Leg color varies from reddish or yellow during the breeding season to black during the nonbreeding season. Juveniles have dark bill. Always note relatively short, thick neck and short legs compared with other egrets. Often gathers in flocks, frequently following large animals and field machinery.
Orange-billed Lorikeet
Neopsittacus pullicauda
A medium-sized, long-tailed parrot of upper-montane cloud forest and clearings. Predominantly green with a bright red patch from the chest to the belly, broadest in the chest. Orange bill and pale green streaks on the face. Readily seen flying in small flocks. Similar to Yellow-billed Lorikeet, but Orange-billed Lorikeet is usually found at higher elevations, is slightly smaller with an obviously orange bill and greenish undertail. Call, a ringing, high-pitch phrase “sik siruk!” or single “Sik!” note.
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