Ashy Wood-Pigeon

Large, stocky shorebird with a distinctive black-and-white wing pattern. Larger than Greater Yellowlegs, smaller than godwits. Overall grayish, with messy dark patterning in breeding plumage. Bill is straight and rather thick, with a paler base. Legs are grayish. Two distinct subspecies. “Eastern” Willet is smaller, darker, browner, shorter-billed, shorter-legged, and strictly coastal. Breeds in saltmarshes from Atlantic Canada to the Gulf of Mexico; migrates early, mostly departing the U.S. in August, and winters almost exclusively on the northern coast of South America. Especially likely to be seen foraging on extensive mudflats, sometimes in flocks. “Western” Willet is larger, paler, grayer, longer-billed, and longer-legged, giving it a more godwitlike appearance. Breeds in marshy grasslands in the Interior West; winters much further north than “Eastern” Willet, from both coasts of the U.S. to as far south as Chile. Especially likely to be seen on beaches.

Medium-sized antbird with a disjunct range from Panama to Brazil. Variable plumage across range. Male generally rufous above and gray below with a white lower belly and blackish face and throat. Females are brown below with dark spotting on the wing coverts. Occurs in pairs in the dense understory of forest edge and second growth; often skulky and difficult to see well. Listen for a rapid trill that starts high and descends in both speed and pitch.

Streamlined long-winged falcon. Note gray upperparts with plain tail, boldly streaked underparts with rusty leggings and vent. Swift-like; flight more graceful and aerodynamic than Eurasian Kestrel. Compare with larger, stockier, shorter-tailed Peregrine Falcon. Favors open woodland, heathland, and farmland with stands of trees; often hunts over nearby water bodies and marshes. Hunts in the air, catching dragonflies, swallows, and other birds, which it sometimes eats on the wing.