The Eurasian woodcock (Scolopax rusticola) is a medium-small wading bird classified in the kind of Caradriformes and in the family of Scolopacidae, found in temperate and subarctic Eurasia. It is found in the winter season in Italy from October to March and it can be observed in the province of Salerno in Diecimare Natural Park.
Its main protection is its cryptic camouflage that enables the bird to suit perfectly in the woodland habitats, detailed with reddish-brown upperparts and buff-colored underparts. It is an insect-eating bird basically fed by worms and larvae found with the sensitivity of its beak, directly from the subsoil.
In Italy, this species is threatened by hunters as its size, speed and flight pattern makes them a very challenging shot.
This species of bird has multiple types of sounds which diverse between the breeding season, the sense of fear or when is alarmed.
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Notes
BirdLife International 2007. Scolopax rusticola. In: IUCN 2010. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Versione 2010.1