Eurasian woodcock

Scientific name: Scolopax rusticola

How weight is recorded: Whole weight

Field notes

Appearance

Compact, rotund body with cryptic rufous-brown plumage heavily barred and mottled with black and grey. Large forward-set eyes, long straight bill, and stocky neck; females slightly larger than males but coloration identical.

Size and weight

Males 300–420 g, females 380–550 g; body length 33–38 cm.

Habitat

Prefers damp woodlands, copses, and mixed forests with soft ground, dense undergrowth, and open rides. Found from lowland valleys to upland forests where soil moisture and leaf litter support earthworm populations.

Distribution

Breeds across temperate Europe and western Asia from Britain to Japan; northern populations migratory, southern populations partially resident. Favours mixed deciduous and coniferous woodland with suitable damp ground.

Diet

Primarily earthworms extracted by probing soft ground; also feeds on insect larvae, small snails, and occasionally vegetation, with earthworm availability varying seasonally.

Behaviour

Highly crepuscular and nocturnal; solitary and cryptic, remaining motionless during day in dense cover. Active foragers at dawn and dusk, moving between woodland feeding areas; migratory populations show strong spring and autumn movements.

Hunting tips

Search for probing holes and prints in soft earth, mud patches, and stream margins; droppings are pale streaked whitewash. Work rides, clearings, and ditches during dawn/dusk when birds are active; move slowly and quietly through cover. Approach into wind over soft ground to mask footfall; flush birds from preferred roosting patches in dense bramble and young conifers.

Whole weight

This species is logged by whole weight — the animal weighed entire, as taken.

Where it is hunted

Listed as huntable in 36 countries in Huntify.

Names in other languages

These field notes are general species knowledge, not legal advice. Always check the current seasons, quotas and firearm rules where you hunt.