Project Description
Willet
Catoptrophorous semipalmatus
Range/Geographical Distribution: From central Canada to California and along the Atlantic and Gulf Coast south.
Habitat: Coastal beaches, freshwater and salt marshes, wet prairies, and lakeshores.
Similar Species: Sanderling, marbled godwit, ruddy turnstone, and dunlin.
Description: Large sandpiper with a grey/brown back and grey legs. It has distinct black and white stripes on the wings and a long, heavy, dark bill.
Size: Length: 13-16” Wingspan: 27” Weight: 200-330g
Food: Insects, marine worms, and crustaceans.
Breeding: Lays four olive colored eggs in a nest lined with plant material or shells in a depression on open ground or within a clump of grass.
Predators: Red foxes, raccoons, and fish crows.
Conservation Status: Listed as least concern by IUCN.
Interesting Facts: The willet gets its name form its call-pill-will-willet.
On the Coast: Willets are migratory birds but live year-round along the coast of Georgia and can often been seen wading along the shore in search of prey.