The Willet, Catoptrophorus
semipalmatus, is a large shorebird. Adults have grey legs and
a long straight dark bill. The body is dark grey on top and light
underneath. The tail is white with a dark band at the end. The
wings have a distinctive black and white pattern. Their breeding
habitat is salt marshes in eastern North America from Nova Scotia
to the Gulf of Mexico and fresh water prairie marshes in western
North America from southern Canada to the northern United States.
They nest on the ground, usually in well-hidden locations in short
grass, often in colonies. They migrate to the Atlantic coast from
North Carolina to northern South America in the west and to the
Pacific coast from California to South America in the east. These
birds forage on mudflats or in shallow water, probing or picking
up food by sight. They mainly eat insects, crustaceans and marine
worms, but also eat some plant material. At one time, this bird
was hunted, but their population has recovered well.