Eurasian woodcock

The Eurasian woodcock is a medium sized wading bird in the sandpiper family Scolopacidae, formally described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758. It is monotypic, with no recognized subspecies, and its closest relatives are the other woodcocks in the genus Scolopax. Adults measure 33 to 38 centimeters in length with a 55 to 65 centimeter wingspan, and show cryptic camouflage suited to woodland, with intricately patterned reddish brown upperparts and buff underparts, a head barred rather than striped with black, and eyes set high on the sides of the head giving near 360 degree vision. The species inhabits temperate and subarctic Eurasia, with about a third of the population breeding in Europe, over 90 percent of that in Russia and Fennoscandia, and requires large unfragmented areas of broadleaved or mixed forest with dense undergrowth, dry resting areas, damp feeding zones and clearings. Northern and Asian populations migrate south to southern Europe or the Indian subcontinent, while many western European birds are resident. The world population is estimated at 14 to 16 million birds, and the IUCN classifies the species as Least Concern.