#53 American Woodcock

This cryptically-patterned shorebird evolved to live in upland habitats, and has collected many nicknames: timberdoodle, bogsucker, night partridge, big-eye, and mudbat. Its large eyes, set high and wide on the sides of its head, allow it to watch for danger from all directions as it probes for earthworms. In spring and summer, their spiraling courtship flights and strange vocalizations are hallmarks of forest clearings in the eastern forests of North America.