March 31, 2000

     Sound of the Woodcocks

During the past few weeks the ground has been thawing and unlocking the food supply of earthworms and insects for the American woodcocks; many are back, and their "peenting" sounds are heard in special spots.  Woodcocks are stocky birds with long bills and short necks and they begin calling soon after they return from the southern states.

The arrival of spring is widely announced by the noisy courtship displays and vocalizations of birds, and the American woodcock adds its special music at a quiet time of day.  Its performance usually begins soon after sunset and ceases when the glow in the western sky disappears, and it begins again in the morning twilight.  On moonlit nights it continues through the night.

A person wanting to attend a woodcock concert must find the correct habitat.  Woodcocks nest in wooded or brushy uplands not far from wet lowlands, and they perform their courtship displays on open pastures or fields.  The bottomlands of the Minnesota and Mississippi rivers provide good observation spots.

Their loud, nasal sound is uttered every few seconds as the woodcock struts about.  Suddenly he rises and flies off, circling until he reaches a height of 200 to 300 feet.  The flight is accompanied by musical sounds, probably produced by the vibration of three outer wing feathers that are narrow and stiff.  Both sexes have the same wing structure, but practically all records assume that the bird in the air is male, performing for the benefit of his mate.  As the bird flutters to earth, a series of whistles completes its elaborate performance.  He soon begins his peenting notes again, and the whole act is repeated until it is time to quit for the night or morning.