Woodcock are cryptic creatures. Their plumage is perfect for blending into the leaves and dark timber they frequent in Maine.
Males performing their distinctive “sky dance” courtship ritual in autumn are regularly detected by their “peent” call and the twittering sound their wings make. This twittering is heard when woodcock are flushed, too.
However, without these noises, you likely would not know this bird is around.
I was lucky enough to spot this delicious and entertaining game bird yesterday morning. This video shows a woodcock stopping to occasionally engage in a unique shuffling walk.
This funky wobble is performed by both males and females, with short, quick steps and head bobbing like a jazz musician. This shimmy is thought to help them stir up worms as they forage — the rhythmic stomping sends vibrations through the soil that mimic raindrops, tricking earthworms into surfacing.
It’s percussion as predation.