Limnodromus scolopaceus
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%
The long-billed dowitcher (Limnodromus scolopaceus) is a medium-sized shorebird with a relatively long bill belonging to the sandpiper family, Scolopacidae. In breeding plumage, adults are characterized by a rufous head and underparts with a darker mottled back and a large white upper rump only seen in flight. They feed in various freshwater habitats with their bill underwater in a "sewing machine" motion and have a mating display where males chase females in flight. The genus, Limnodromus is Ancient Greek from limne, "marsh" and dromos, "racer". The specific scolopaceus is Neo-Latin for "snipe-like", from Latin scolopax, scolopacis, a snipe or woodcock. The English name is from Iroquois and was first recorded in 1841.
The long-billed dowitcher is similar in appearance to the short-billed dowitcher and was only recognized as a separate species in 1950. Between the two, the best distinguishing field mark is their flight call, especially in winter, when the two species' plumage can be nearly identical. However, the two species differ ecologically in their habitat preferences and breeding locations. Long-billed dowitchers generally prefer freshwater habitats, and breed in northern Alaska and Siberia; their short-billed counterparts favor saltwater habitats and breed farther east, from southern Alaska across Canada to the maritime provinces. Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mesa | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | León | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 3 | San Luis Potosí | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 4 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | San Francisco | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Vancouver | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 7 | San Diego | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Mexico City | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 9 | Portland | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Havana | 🇨🇺 Cuba |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | National Zoological Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | California Academy of Sciences | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Long-billed Dowitcher sighting in Elk Island National Park on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 152nd most-seen of the 161 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, and over a week to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Long-billed Dowitcher in Elk Island National Park on a given day, against under 5% in November to September, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Long-billed Dowitcher sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
12th of 23
Of the 23 parks where we can rate Long-billed Dowitcher sightings, Elk Island National Park ranks 12th at under 5%. The best odds are in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (United States, about 10%), El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve (Mexico, about 10%) and Kluane National Park (Canada, about 10%).
Same family: Scolopacidae
The closest relatives of the Long-billed Dowitcher that you can see in Elk Island National Park (family Scolopacidae, Sandpipers and Allies) are Wilson's Snipe (about 20%), Spotted Sandpiper (about 10%) and Solitary Sandpiper (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Long-billed Dowitcher is recorded against all the birds logged in Elk Island National Park (7 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
