Day 132: Willet

Willets are large shorebirds in the sandpiper family. They have dark gray bodies and a distinctive black and white pattern on the wings that can be seen when they fly.

The two subspecies of Willets have very different breeding habitats and ranges. The Eastern Willet (which is what we saw in Maryland) can be found from Nova Scotia to Mexico and the Caribbean and breeds in coastal saltmarshes. The Western Willet breeds in freshwater prairie marshes in western North America.