willet

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willet

bird

Also known as: Catoptrophorus semipalmatus

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Article History

willet, (Catoptrophorus semipalmatus), large, long-billed shorebird of America, belonging to the family Scolopacidae (order Charadriiformes), which also includes the snipes, turnstones, and curlews. The willet is named for its loud call. Willets are about 40 centimetres (16 inches) long and gray, with striking black and white wings. With the wings closed, they resemble the greater yellowlegs. Once a declining species, willets have revived under protection of their breeding places, around ponds, from southwestern Canada to Colorado and south to Mexico, and from Nova Scotia to Florida and the West Indies. In winter, willets are found on seacoasts from California and the Carolinas to Peru and French Guiana.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.