Species

Willet

Tringa semipalmata

A large, plain grey shorebird that bursts into bold black-and-white wings and a loud 'pill-will-willet' call.

Photo Unknown photographer (opens in a new tab) / iNaturalist, CC0 1.0 (opens in a new tab)

At a glance

Size: About 33 to 41 cm long
Weight: About 200 to 330 g
Habitat: Salt marshes, beaches and mudflats
Diet: Crabs, marine worms, clams and small fish
In Georgia: A common resident on the coast; nesting birds in summer and wintering birds from the West
Voice: A loud, ringing "pill-will-willet"
Rabies vector: No

Identification

Key marks: Large, plain grey-brown shorebird; thick, straight grey bill; bold black-and-white wing pattern in flight
Told apart from: Greater yellowlegs, which has yellow legs and no wing pattern
Told apart from: Marbled godwit, which is cinnamon with an upturned bill
Where to look: Salt marsh edges and beaches

Behaviour

Willets probe and pick in mud and sand. Nesting birds are noisy and aggressive, calling loudly from posts and flying at intruders.

Why they matter

Georgia's salt marshes are home to nesting willets of the eastern population, while birds of the western population winter on the same beaches. The willet is one of the most characteristic birds of the coast and a key predator of fiddler crabs.

Reproduction and lifecycle

Nest — A grass-lined scrape in marsh grass or dunes
Eggs — Usually four
Incubation — About 22 to 29 days
Chicks — Leave the nest within a day
Flight — At about four weeks
Lifespan — Wild birds over ten years are recorded

Living around people

Willets that call and fly at people are defending nests or chicks; leaving the area ends it.

Misconceptions

The willet is a dull bird. It is plain on the ground, but its flashing wings and loud call are unmistakable.

Related species

Seasonal activity

When this species is breeding, and when there are nests on the ground. Mowing during the shaded months is how most nests are found.

Breeding and active nests by month for this species
	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Breeding	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Active nests	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Notes	Wintering birds present	Wintering	Eastern birds arrive to nest	Nesting	Nesting	Chicks	Young flying	Eastern birds leave	Western birds arriving	Wintering	Wintering	Wintering

Where it lives

Recorded in 68 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.

Canada

Mexico

If you found one

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