General Description: Willets (Tringa semipalmata) are large shorebirds with long gray legs and a medium-length, heavy black bill. In flight, they show a bold black-and-white wing pattern. In summer, Willets are heavily mottled on the head and chest with a white belly. In winter, they are plain gray. The distinctive call is will-will-willet!

Taxonomy: Charadriiformes, Scolopacidae, Scolopacinae. Formerly Catoptrophorus semipalmatus.

Favored Habitat: Grassy meadows during summer, mud flats and salt marshes during winter.

Where to Find: Don't look for Willets around Las Vegas. Rather, look for them on the coast during winter. However, it is always worth keeping an eye out for this species during migration at the Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve, the Pahranagat Valley, and the Overton Wildlife Management Area.

Comments: Breeds from northeast California to the Dakotas (including northern Nevada) and adjacent Canada; winters along both coasts of the US and south to South America.