Woodcock Scolopax rusticola

Charles Smith-Jones investigates this prized bird that provides a notoriously difficult challenge for sportsmen, as well as their restraint

A  bulky bird with short legs and a long bill, the woodcock’s mottled buff, brown and black plumage provides it with perfect camouflage as it sits motionless in the leaf litter of the woodland floor with its large eyes high on the sides of the head giving a 360-degree vision.

They are almost impossible to spot and can be notoriously difficult to flush, especially when they are brooding. Once persuaded into the air, however, the rufous rump becomes more obvious as the bird departs with whirring wings and the erratic fluttering flight that shooters consider such a challenge.

Like the closely related snipe, the long bill is used to probe deeply into the ground in search of earthworms and other food items, with sensitive nerveendings allowing them to locate food. The outermost quarter of the bill can also be opened while the rest remains closed, allowing a firm grip to be taken on prey.

Habits