Saltmarsh Willet Images

Saltmarsh Willet Images

Tringa semipalmata

• Saltmarsh Willets are large shorebirds with long legs, long, straight, heavy bills, grayish-brown bodies, and bluish-gray legs. Saltmarsh Willets have distinctive black and white stripes on their wings that are especially noticeable in flight. They are generally smaller and stockier than Prairie Willets, with shorter legs and thicker bills. Males and females look alike.
• Saltmarsh Willets are long distance migrators. Saltmarsh Willets breed along the Atlantic Coast from Canada south through the eastern U.S. to the Gulf Coast of Texas, with some populations breeding in the Caribbean. They migrate to South America for winter, primarily along the Atlantic Coast, especially Brazil. Saltmarsh Willets vacate nearly all of North America during winter.
• Saltmarsh Willets thrive in many habitats including coastal salt marshes, tidal flats, estuaries, mudflats, beaches, bays, lagoons, and shallow coastal wetlands. They are particularly associated with saltwater marshes during breeding season.
• Saltmarsh Willets eat aquatic insects, beetles, worms, snails, clams, small crabs, mollusks, small fish, crustaceans, and other invertebrates.
• Saltmarsh Willets usually lay 4 eggs which hatch in approximately 22 to 29 days. Both parents incubate the eggs and care for the young. Saltmarsh Willets are generally monogamous during the breeding season.
• A group of willets can be called a “fling”, “contradiction” or “whisper” of Willets.
• The oldest known willet in North America was at least 10 years and 3 months old.

I hope you enjoy viewing my Saltmarsh Willet photos.