Woodcock
Scolopax rusticola
A large, round-bodied wader about the size of a pigeon, with a very long tapering bill. It is a woodland specialist, superbly camouflaged with intricately patterned brown plumage that blends into leaf litter. Woodcocks roost quietly in dense cover by day and at dusk they fly out to open fields or lawns to feed on earthworms.
- Habitat: Damp woodlands and scrub, using nearby open grasslands (e.g. pastures or glades) for feeding
- When to See: Common in winter; typically seen from late autumn to early spring, almost exclusively nocturnal in habits
- Diet / Food: Primarily earthworms and beetles, gathered by probing in soft soil and leaf litter with the long bill
- Length: 33–35 cm