Limnodromus scolopaceus
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
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 |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Long-billed Dowitcher sighting in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge on a given day, based on 1,475 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 73rd most-seen of the 279 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Long-billed Dowitcher in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge on a given day, against under 5% in May to November, the lowest months. That is one of Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge's driest months, with about 65 mm of rain against 210 mm in September.
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.
Yes
Of the 23 parks where we can rate Long-billed Dowitcher sightings, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve (Mexico, about 10%) and Kluane National Park (Canada, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Long-billed Dowitcher is recorded against all the birds logged in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (1,475 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.
