American Woodcock

Related to the sandpipers, but strikingly different in habits. This rotund, short-legged bird hides in forest thickets by day, where it uses its long bill to probe in damp soil for earthworms. Its eyes are set far back on its head, allowing it to watch for danger even with its bill buried in the dirt. Males perform a remarkable 'sky dance' on spring and summer nights, in a high, twisting flight, with chippering, twittering, bubbling sounds.