Willet - Tringa semipalmata
General Description
Large (length 33-41 cm; mass 200-300 g), gray to brownish-gray sandpiper with white lower rump to base of tail and distinctive black and white wing pattern - "the Willet remains brown and inconspicuous until it opens its wings, displaying an unusually broad white wing-stripe that runs across the primaries and secondaries, bordered in black". Sexes similar in plumage and overall size, female slightly larger in mass. In Alternate plumage, head, neck, and remainder of body subtly barred and streaked darker, but Basic plumage largely plain brownish gray. (Lowther, P. E., Douglas III, H. D., and Gratto-Trevor, C. L., The Birds of North America, No. 579, 2001).
Distribution
Montana Range
Observations in Montana: 1359
Montana CountiesBeaverhead, Big Horn, Blaine, Broadwater, Carbon, Carter, Cascade, Chouteau, Custer, Daniels, Dawson, Deer Lodge, Fallon, Fergus, Flathead, Gallatin, Garfield, Glacier, Golden Valley, Granite, Hill, Lake, Lewis and Clark, Liberty, Madison, McCone, Meagher, Missoula, Musselshell, Park, Petroleum, Phillips, Pondera, Powder River, Powell, Prairie, Ravalli, Richland, Roosevelt, Rosebud, Sanders, Sheridan, Stillwater, Teton, Toole, Valley, Wheatland, Yellowstone
Migration
Willets migrate to California, the Gulf states and south in winter. The Bozeman migration occurs from May 6 to 25, with a peak on May 10. September numbers are less obvious.
Habitat
Western breeding range on the prairies, uses short, sparse cover in wetlands and grasslands; on semiarid plains near bodies of water; in grasslands associated with shallow wetlands; to a lesser extent croplands (Lowther, Douglas III, and Gratto-Trevor 2001).
Food Habits
Insects, small crustaceans, mollusks, polychaetes; occasionally small fish (Lowther, Douglas III, and Gratto-Trevor 2001).
Reproductive Characteristics
Nests on the ground, most frequently found in native grasslands, almost always in proximity to a piece of wood, dried cattle dung, stone, etc. Eggs usually ovate or ovate pyriform in shape; color varies from deep olive-buff to olive-buff, boldly marked. Clutch size typically 4 eggs (Lowther, Douglas III, and Gratto-Trevor 2001). Nesting is from mid-May to mid-June.