By TODD McLEISH/ecoRI News
contributor
One of the region’s most unusual
birds is the subject of a research project by University of Rhode Island
doctoral student Erin Harrington, and she’s seeking at least 80 volunteers to
become citizen scientists to contribute to her work. All it takes is a
commitment of 38 minutes at dusk on four dates between April 20 and May 10,
plus attendance at a two-hour training session.
The subject of Harrington’s study
is the American woodcock, which she calls “a funny-looking bird with short,
stubby legs and a variety of silly nicknames that makes arguably the silliest
sounding mating call known to mankind.”
She’s not kidding.
“They’re an ideal bird for
citizen scientists to work with because they’re unique and goofy looking, but
their goofiness is endearing in a way that makes them distinctive and easy to
identify,” Harrington said.
Sometimes called the
timberdoodle, woodcocks are chunky, brownish birds with large eyes, short
tails, and long beaks that they probe into the ground in search of earthworms
to eat. They are found throughout the eastern United States, but their
populations have been declining throughout their range. Little is known about
their habits and habitat preferences in Rhode Island.
“We want to figure out where
woodcocks are showing up in Rhode Island and where they aren’t,” Harrington
said. “Where they’re showing up and where they aren’t are equally important
because that tells us a little about what kind of habitat they prefer. And in
areas where they are showing up, we’re also interested in how many are there.
Areas of high numbers likely indicate a preferred habitat area.”
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