willet

willet (WIL-it) - n., a large North American sandpiper (Tringa semipalmata, formerly Catoptrophorus semipalmatus) with a striking black-and-white wing pattern when in flight.



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There are two subspecies, one breeding on the northeastern Atlantic coast and wintering on southern coasts, the other breeding in the northern Great Plains and wintering on the Pacific coast. The name, which has been used since around 1700, comes from its cry, which is typically transcribed as pill-will-willet.

---L.