Shorebirds and seabirds in the Lowcountry
Shorebirds and seabirds help keep our beaches wild, healthy and beautiful.
Story By Sheila Paz
The sea islands of Beaufort County are home to many native shorebirds and seabirds. Our coastal areas are also a preferred pit stop for many migratory birds traveling along the Great Atlantic Flyway. Here are some of our favorite flocks of a feather you’ll likely see on your next outdoor adventure.
American Avocet
When: Winter
Where: Shallow freshwater, saltwater wetlands
Did you know? They have a signature feeding style called “scything” and sweep their bill from side to side as they wade through the water.
Black-necked Stilt
When: All year
Where: Mudflats, grassy marshes, shallow lakes, retaining ponds
Did you know? A group of black-necked stilts will group around a predator and jump, hop or flap to drive away them away.
Greater Yellowlegs
When: Winter
Where: Fresh and brackish wetlands. They love when there are shrubs and small trees nearby.
Did you know? In the winter and migration season, they eat small fish, crustaceans and snails but during the breeding season they eat insects and insect larvae.
Semipalmated Plover
When: Winter
Where: Sandy beaches, golf courses, salt marshes
Did you know? These birds have been known to swim across channels while foraging for food.
Killdeer
When: All year
Where: Riverbanks, mudflats, shores
Did you know? They will pretend to have an injured wing in order to lure predators away from their nests.
Lesser Yellowlegs
When: Winter
Where: Marshes, mudflats, ponds, coastal estuaries
Did you know? Female yellow legs leave the nest before the chicks can fly, leaving the males to protect the chicks.
Spotted Sandpiper
When: Winter
Where: Seashores, mudflats, breakwaters
Did you know? They walk quickly, crouch low and dart toward their prey while bobbing their tails up and down.
Willet
When: All year
Where: Beaches, bays, rocky coastal zones
Did you know? They pretend to be disabled by a broken wing in order to draw attention to themselves and lure predators away from their eggs or chicks.
Ruddy Turnstone
When: Winter
Where: Sandy beaches, shorelines, mudflats
Did you know? They flip objects like shells and stones to find food underneath.
Dunlin
When: Winter
Where: Mudflats, drainage ponds, flooded areas.
Did you know? They will crossbreed with different species of sandpipers
Least Sandpiper
When: Winter
Where: Mudflats, grass marshes, rain pools, shores
Did you know? At less than six inches long, they are the smallest shorebird in SC.
Wilson’s Snipe
When: Winter
Where: Wet, marshy habitats
Did you know? As they probe in the mud, they can sense prey with the tip of their bill.
American Oystercatcher
When: All year
Where: Sandy beaches with lots of shells for nesting.
Did you know? As the name implies, these birds love to eat clams, oysters and mussels.
Long-billed Dowitcher
When: Winter
Where: Muddy substrate areas, water less than 3 inches deep
Did you know? They often feed in darkness
and have great night vision.
Short-billed Dowitcher
When: Winter
Where: Saltwater and brackish waters, estuaries, lagoons, mangroves, ponds
Did you know? The males usually take care of the chicks when they hatch.
American Woodcock
When: All year
Where: Forests, wet meadows
Did you know? Their eyes are placed further back, giving them almost a 360-degree field of vision.
Brown Pelican
When: All year
Where: Creeks, sounds, salt bays, beaches, oceans
Did you know? They can dive into the water from as high as 65 feet.
Red Knot
When: Winter
Where: Marshes, sandy beaches, lagoons, mudflats
Did you know? They travel more than 9,000 miles from the Arctic to the southern tip of South Africa.
Black-bellied Plover
When: Winter
Where: Sandy beaches, tidal flats
Did you know? They are the only plovers that have a hind toe.
Royal Tern
When: All year
Where: Coasts, sandy beaches, salt bays
Did you know? A group of terns is a “highness.”
Sandwich Tern
When: Fall/winter
Where: Sandy barrier beaches, barrier islands
Did you know? The first was found in the town of Sandwich, England.
Gull-billed Tern
When: Summer
Where: Salt marshes, fields, coastal bays
Did you know? While other terns rely heavily on fish, this tern mainly eats insects.
Laughing Gull
When: All year
Where: Salt marshes, piers, beaches
Did you know? They get their name from their high-pitched calls that sound like “ha-ha-ha.”
Sanderling
When: Winter
Where: Beach, tide flats, lake shores
Did you know? They are the only sandpiper
that is missing a hind toe.
Black Skimmer
When: All year
Where: Lagoons, estuaries, inlets, sheltered bays
Did you know? They are crepuscular — active at dawn and dusk.
American Bittern
When: Winter
Where: Marshes, reedy lakes, shallow wetlands, open shallow water
Did you know? These stealthy carnivores stand motionless amid tall marsh vegetation while looking for fish, frogs and insects.
Roseate Spoonbill
When: Winter and spring
Where: Coastal marshes, lagoons, mudflats, mangrove keys
Did you know? Like flamingos, spoonbills get their pink and sometimes red coloring from the crustaceans they eat.
Wood Stork
When: All year
Where: Cypress swamps, marshes, ponds, lagoons
Did you know? Studies have found that they can snap their beaks closed at a speed of 0.25 milliseconds, making their reflex action the fastest in the animal kingdom. Their beaks snap closed faster than a human blinks.
Kingfisher
When: All year
Where: Streams, lakes, bays, near the coast
Did you know? These birds live on every continent except Antarctica.
Double-crested Cormorants
When: All year
Where: Coasts, bays, lakes, rivers
Did you know? Ukai is a traditional fishing method using trained cormorants to fish. Fishermen tie a snare by the base of the bird’s throat, preventing them from swallowing the bigger fish they catch.