BIOLOGICAL DATA AND HABITAT REQUIREMENTS
WILDLIFE SPECIES: Scolopax minor | American Woodcock 



TIMING OF MAJOR LIFE HISTORY EVENTS : 
Mating season - late February through early May after male courtship
                display in January and February.
Eggs - laid in ground nest shortly after mating; three to five per clutch; 
       incubation is about 20 days.
Maturity - chicks almost fully grown in 28 days; sexually mature in 10
           to 12 months.
Life Expectancy - about 8 years in captivity.
Migration - in spring can begin as early as late February; in
            autumn can begin in September, usually determined
            by the first frost.
[6,16,23,25]


PREFERRED HABITAT : 
American woodcocks are classified as shorebirds and as such tend most
often to frequent mesic woodlands, bottomlands, and wet meadows.  They
also inhabit recently logged or burned areas, agricultural land, and
riparian woodlands [8].  American woodcocks show a high preference for
aspen and alder stands and damp fields with little ground cover.  The
abundance of earthworms, the main staple of woodcock diets, strongly
dictates American woodcock distribution [6].  Although hardwood forest
soils support a greater abundance of earthworms, conifer forests do
support shallow-burrowing worms which woodcocks will pursue,
particularly if ground vegetation is sparse.

American woodcocks nest in a variety of habitats such as open fields,
mixed forests, bushfields, and conifer plantations but appear to prefer
areas with high shrub-stem density [7].  Greg and Hale [13], however,
found that most nests in Wisconsin were located in woodlands dominated
by aspen.

In Nova Scotia, American woodcocks seemed to prefer pastures with woody
vegetation to those without for singing grounds.  Feeding areas with
cover or near forest edges were preferred over large open areas [26].


COVER REQUIREMENTS : 
American woodcocks need only moderate cover.  Because woodcocks probe
through soil for food, ground vegetation in foraging areas must be
sparse [6].  Thick vegetation is more beneficial as hiding cover for
predators than as escape cover for the woodcock.  Open woodlands or
brushy fields that provide patchy cover are used for roosting,
courtship, nesting, and brood rearing.  Open areas with patches of
shrubs are used for singing grounds, where males begin courtship and
claim territories.  These areas must be open enough to enable the birds
to carry-out their flight pattern displays [23].


FOOD HABITS : 
Earthworms (Lumbricus spp.; Aporrectodea spp.; Diplocardia spp.) make up
50 to 90 percent of the American woodcock's diet.  Other food items
include beetles (Coleoptera), flies (Diptera), centipedes (Chilopoda),
butterfly and moth larvae (Lepidoptera), crustaceans, and other insect
larvae [6,8].  Seeds of raspberry and blackberry (Rubus spp.), alder,
elderberry (Sambucus spp.), cinquefoil (Potentilla spp.), dogwood
(Cornus spp.), smartweed (Polygonum spp.), ragweed (Ambrosia spp.),
sedge (Carex spp.), bedstraw (Galium spp.), and other plants are
occasionally eaten [23].


PREDATORS : 
Predators include humans and hawks (Accipitridae) [14].  Although no
specific information on other predators was found, many animals can prey
on woodcock eggs, such as fox (Vulpes vulpes), skunks and weasels
(Mustelidae), racoon (Procyon lotor), opossum (Didelphis virginiana),
snakes, and birds of prey [23].


MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
American woodcocks are a popular game species in the East [2].  Much
habitat manipulation is conducted to improve woodcock populations.
Clearcutting aspen stands is a common and successful practice, usually
leading to an influx of woodcocks within the first 2 years after harvest
[3].  When these stands are cut, bare mineral soil is exposed and
woodcocks can easily forage for earthworms [6].  However, because
succession can take place rapidly following harvest of aspen stands, the
benefits of cutting may be short-lived [15].  Aspen stand management
strategies for improving American woodcock habitat have been outlined
[22].

Wetland draining and pesticide use can both have a negative impact on
woodcocks [6].  Draining wetlands reduces the water table and
subsequently earthworm abundance.  The American woodcock is extremely
sensitive to pesticides, since the majority of their diet includes
insects [5,24].


REFERENCES : 
NO-ENTRY

Related categories for Wildlife Species: Scolopax minor | American Woodcock