Willet

Willet

"Taxobox
name = Willet
status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1



image_width = 256px
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Aves
ordo = Charadriiformes
familia = Scolopacidae
genus = "Tringa"
species = "T. semipalmata"
species_authority =
binomial = "Tringa semipalmata"
subdivision_ranks = Subspecies
subdivision =
* "T. s. semipalmata" Eastern Willet
* "T. s. inornata" Western Willet
synonyms ="Catoptrophus semipalmatus"
"Totanus semipalmatus"

The Willet, "Tringa semipalmata" (formerly in the monotypic genus "Catoptrophorus", as "Catoptrophorus semipalmatus" [Pereira & Baker (2005), Banks "et al." (2006)] ), is a large shorebird in the sandpiper family. It is a well-sized and stout scolopacid, the largest of the shanks. Its closest relative is the Lesser Yellowlegs, a much smaller bird with a very different appearance apart from the fine, clear and dense pattern of the neck which both species show in breeding plumage.

Adults have gray legs and a long, straight, dark and stout bill. The body is dark gray above and light underneath. The tail is white with a dark band at the end. The distinctive black and white pattern of the wings is a common sight along many North American coastal beaches.

Two subspecies (which may well be different speciesFact|date=February 2007) have very different breeding habitats and ranges. The Eastern Willet breeds in coastal saltmarshes from Nova Scotia to Mexico and the Caribbean. It winters on the Atlantic coast of South America. The Western Willet breeds in freshwater prairie marshes in western North America. It winters on both coasts, from the mid-Atlantic states south to at least Brazil on the Atlantic, and from Oregon south to Peru on the Pacific.

Willets nest on the ground, usually in well-hidden locations in short grass, often in colonies. These birds forage on mudflats or in shallow water, probing or picking up food by sight. They mainly eat insects, crustaceans and marine worms, but also eat some plant material.

The willet's population declined sharply due to hunting in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Their population has since increased, but they are still considered at risk, especially in light of continued habitat loss.

Footnotes

References

* Banks, Richard C.; Cicero, Carla; Dunn, Jon L.; Kratter, Andrew W.; Rasmussen, Pamela C.; Remsen, J. V. Jr.; Rising, James D. & Stotz, Douglas F. (2006): Forty-seventh Supplement to the American Ornithologists' Union Check-list of North American Birds. "Auk" 123(3): 926–936. DOI: 10.1642/0004-8038(2006)123 [926:FSTTAO] 2.0.CO;2 [http://www.aou.org/checklist/Suppl47.pdf PDF fulltext]

* Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern

* Pereira, Sérgio Luiz & Baker, Alan J. (2005): Multiple Gene Evidence for Parallel Evolution and Retention of Ancestral Morphological States in the Shanks (Charadriiformes: Scolopacidae). "Condor" 107(3): 514–526. DOI: 10.1650/0010-5422(2005)107 [0514:MGEFPE] 2.0.CO;2 [http://www.bioone.org/perlserv/?request=get-abstract&issn=0010-5422&volume=107&issue=03&page=0514 HTML abstract]

External links

* Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection: [http://dep.state.ct.us/burnatr/wildlife/factshts/willet.htm Wildlife in Connecticut - Endangered and Threatened Species Series: Willet]
* [http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Willet.html Willet Species Account] - Cornell Lab of Ornithology
* [http://www.sdakotabirds.com/species/willet_info.htm Willet Information and Photos] - South Dakota Birds and Birding
* [http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/id/framlst/i2580id.html Willet - "Catoptrophorus semipalmatus"] - USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Willet — Wil let, n. (Zo[ o]l.) A large North American snipe ({Symphemia semipalmata}); called also {pill willet}, {will willet}, {semipalmated tattler}, or {snipe}, {duck snipe}, and {stone curlew}. [1913 Webster] {Carolina willet}, the Hudsonian godwit …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Willet — ist der Name dreier Ortschaften in den Vereinigten Staaten: Willet (Mississippi), eine Ortschaft im Washington County, im US Bundesstaat Mississippi Willet (New York), eine Ortschaft im Cortland County, im US Bundesstaat New York Willet… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • willet — ☆ willet [wil′it ] n. pl. willets or willet [echoic of its cry] a large, gray and white, long legged shorebird (Catoptrophorus semipalmatus) of the same family (Scolopacidae) as snipe and sandpipers, living along shallow shores, marshes, etc. of… …   English World dictionary

  • willet — /wil it/, n., pl. willets, (esp. collectively) willet. a large, eastern North American shorebird, Catoptrophorus semipalmatus, having a striking black and white wing pattern. [1700 10, Amer.; short for pill will willet, conventional imit. of its… …   Universalium

  • willet — noun (plural willets; also willet) Etymology: imitative Date: 1791 a large American shorebird (Catoptrophorus semipalmatus) of the sandpiper family that resembles the greater yellowlegs but has a thicker bill and gray legs and that displays a… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • willet — [ wɪlɪt] noun (plural same or willets) a large North American sandpiper. [Catoptrophorus semipalmatus.] Origin C19: imitative of its call, pill will willet …   English new terms dictionary

  • willet — wil•let [[t]ˈwɪl ɪt[/t]] n. pl. lets, (esp. collectively) let. orn a large North American sandpiper, Catoptrophorus semipalmatus, with a striking black and white wing pattern • Etymology: 1700–10, amer.; short for pill will willet, conventional… …   From formal English to slang

  • willet — /ˈwɪlət/ (say wiluht) noun a large North American semipalmate shorebird, Catoptrophorus semipalmatus, with striking black and white wing pattern. {shortened form of pill will willet, imitative of cry of bird} …  

  • willet — didžiasnapiai tilvikai statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas atitikmenys: lot. Catoptrophorus angl. willet vok. Schlammtreter, m rus. перепончатопалый улит, m pranc. chevalier semipalmé, m ryšiai: platesnis terminas – tulikai siauresnis terminas …   Paukščių pavadinimų žodynas

  • willet — didžiasnapis tilvikas statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas atitikmenys: lot. Catoptrophorus semipalmatus angl. willet vok. Schlammtreter, m rus. перепончатопалый улит, m pranc. chevalier semipalmé, m ryšiai: platesnis terminas – didžiasnapiai… …   Paukščių pavadinimų žodynas

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