<p>The <b>Willet</b>, <i>Tringa semipalmata</i> (formerly <i><b>Catoptrophorus</b> semipalmatus</i>: Pereira & Baker, 2005; Banks <i>et al.</i>, 2006), is a large <a title="Shorebird" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shorebird">shorebird</a> in the <a title="Sandpiper" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandpiper">sandpiper</a> family. It is a well-sized and stout <a title="Scolopacidae" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scolopacidae">scolopacid</a>, the largest of the <a title="Shanks" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanks">shanks</a>. Its closest relative is the <a title="Lesser Yellowlegs" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lesser_Yellowlegs">Lesser Yellowlegs</a>,
a much smaller bird with a very different appearance apart from the
fine, clear and dense pattern of the neck which both species show in
breeding plumage.</p>
<p>Adults have gray legs and a long, straight, dark and stout bill. The
body is dark gray above and light underneath. The tail is white with a
dark band at the end. The distinctive black and white pattern of the
wings is a common sight along many North American coastal beaches.</p>
<div class="thumb tleft">
<div class="thumbinner" style="width: 182px;"><a title="A drawing of a willet in flight showing the bold underwing pattern" class="internal" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:WilletWing23.jpg"><img width="180" height="176" class="thumbimage" longdesc="/wiki/Image:WilletWing23.jpg" alt="A drawing of a willet in flight showing the bold underwing pattern" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/3/3b/WilletWing23.jpg/180px-WilletWing23.jpg"/></a>
<div class="thumbcaption">
<div class="magnify" style="float: right;"><a title="Enlarge" class="internal" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:WilletWing23.jpg"><img width="15" height="11" alt="" src="http://en.wikipedia.org/skins-1.5/common/images/magnify-clip.png"/></a></div>
A drawing of a willet in flight showing the bold underwing pattern</div>
</div>
</div>
<p>Two subspecies (which may well be different species<sup class="noprint">[<a title="Wikipedia:Citing sources" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citing_sources"><i><span title="The material in the vicinity of this tag needs references to reliable sources." style="white-space: nowrap;">citation needed</span></i></a>]</sup>) have very different breeding habitats and ranges. The Eastern Willet breeds in coastal saltmarshes from <a title="Nova Scotia" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nova_Scotia">Nova Scotia</a>
to Mexico and the Caribbean. It winters on the Atlantic coast of South
America. The Western Willet breeds in freshwater prairie marshes in
western <a title="North America" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_America">North America</a>.
It winters on both coasts, from the mid-Atlantic states south to at
least Brazil on the Atlantic, and from Oregon south to Peru on the
Pacific.</p>
<p>Willets nest on the ground, usually in well-hidden locations in
short grass, often in colonies. These birds forage on mudflats or in
shallow water, probing or picking up food by sight. They mainly eat
insects, crustaceans and marine worms, but also eat some plant material.</p>
<p>The willet's population declined sharply due to hunting in the late
nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Their population has since
increased, but they are still considered at risk, especially in light
of continued habitat loss.</p>
