Eastern Willet is a chunky, tall, long-legged, long-necked shorebird that is gray brown in any season; see Fig. 4.

The drab appearance vanishes as soon as the bird opens its brightly contrasting black-and-white wings. The tail is white with some gray barring toward the tip; see Fig. 3, Fig. 5, Fig. 7.

The legs are gray or gray green; see Fig. 2, Fig. 4.

The bicolored bill is thick, straight, medium long and blunt-tipped; see Fig 1.

Winter (basic) plumage is a pale brown. Each back (mantle) feather has a darker, slightly smudged center. The scapulars are slightly darker than the rest of the mantle. The neck and upper breast are lightly speckled with gray or brown spots; see Fig 1. Note that this plumage is virtually unknown north of the Mexico-US border. Nearly the entire population of Eastern Willet winters in the Caribbean, Central and South America.

By mid to late February, Eastern Willet’s back (mantle) plumage begins to acquire the brown barring of spring (alternate) plumage; see Fig. 2.

As spring progresses, Eastern Willet acquires heavier and darker plumage; see Fig. 4.

In full spring (alternate) plumage, Eastern Willet displays very dark plumage and boldly barred tertials (long feathers over the folded wingtips); see Fig. 6, Fig. 16.

Spring (alternate) and summer (alternate) are the same plumage, but as the seasons progress, Eastern Willet’s alternate plumage begins to look darker because the pale feather margins wear off; see Fig. 8.

The newly hatched downy chick is precocial; it can run about and feed itself soon after emerging from the egg. It sports enormous feet for its size; see Fig. 10.

Both parents spend a short time tending to chicks by brooding and guarding against predators: females for about two weeks after hatching, males for an additional two weeks.

By mid-summer, half-grown young have the beginnings of juvenile plumage: evenly patterned brown back (mantle) feathers with broad buff margins; see Fig. 11, Fig. 12.

Juvenile Eastern Willet’s wing covert feathers show, at close range, a submarginal dark line (dark line that parallels the feather margin). The tertials (long feathers over the folded wings) have pale zigzag margins; see Fig. 13.

Willets breed across most of United States and southern Canada. For Eastern Willet, the breeding range extends into coastal eastern Mexico and throughout the Caribbean islands as far south as the Venezuelan coast.

Eastern Willet is strictly a coastal breeder. Nests are found close to the shores of the Atlantic Ocean or Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea.

Eastern Willet nests are well-hidden and difficult to find. The female usually lays 3–4 pyriform (pear-shaped) eggs; see Fig. 9.

Willets migrate primarily at night. Eastern Willets are among the earliest migrants after the breeding season, adults often departing from nesting areas shortly after mid-June.

Both willet subspecies winter primarily along the coasts. Eastern Willets winter from eastern Mexico south to the southern Brazil coast. Many Eastern Willets migrate over the Atlantic Ocean from their eastern Canadian or New England nesting areas to Caribbean or South American wintering areas.

In coastal areas, Eastern Willet feeds on mudflats and shallow beach edges at low tide.

At high tide, Eastern Willet roosts and sometimes feeds in shallow saltmarsh pans with other shorebirds.

Eastern Willet always nests close to the marine coast. The nesting habitat varies: coastal dunes, salt marshes, barrier islands, barrier beaches, pastures and farmland (in Nova Scotia) and even a sphagnum bog.

Western Willet nests primarily in central and western wetlands of North America. It does NOT nest on the coast.

In winter, Eastern Willet roosts and forages on rocky shores, mudflats, sandy beaches or mangrove coasts.

Eastern Willet feeds by day and at night. Its primary food source is marine crabs, mollusks, snails, sometimes fish and insects.

Eastern Willet (EAWI) and Western Willet (WEWI) are considered subspecies of Willet. They differ sufficiently from each other in plumage, size and migration patterns to justify being treated in separate “species” accounts in this guide. For comparison, see Fig. 14, Fig. 15.

Note the following:

• In nearly all plumages, Eastern is darker and browner and Western is paler and grayer.
• Eastern Willet is, on average, smaller than Western.
• In both subspecies, females are larger. The variation in size among populations of Western Willets is much greater.
• There is a size overlap between the subspecies; a large female Eastern may be larger than a small male Western.
• Eastern Willet is, on average, shorter-billed than Western. Eastern Willet’s bill often shows pinkish at the base; Western’s bill is often bluish at the base.
• Eastern Willet’s bill is thick throughout and blunt. Western Willet has a longer, more tapered, pointy bill, sometimes with a slight upcurve.
• Western Willet’s pale head contrasts with its nearly all-dark bill, especially in winter.
• Eastern Willet is shorter-legged than Western.
• During the breeding season, Eastern Willets are rarely found far from marine coasts. Western Willets breed along the shores of inland lakes or ponds or in fresh water wetlands.
• Eastern Willets winter south of the United States border. Western Willets winter along the coasts of southern North America, Central and South America and the Caribbean region.

Eastern Willet (EAWI) and both yellowlegs species are long-legged, tall shorebirds that roost and feed in similar habitats, often together. For comparison, see Fig. 16.

Note the following:

• Eastern Willet is much larger than Lesser Yellowlegs. It is similar in size to Greater Yellowlegs but chunkier and less elegant.
• The willet’s bill is thick and blunt. Both yellowlegs have tapered, pointy bills. Greater Yellowlegs’ bill is often upturned slightly.
• In flight, Eastern Willet has flashing black-and-white wings from above and below. Yellowlegs’ wings are medium grey above and pale grey with barring from below.
• Willet’ legs are dull gray or gray green. Yellowlegs have bright yellow legs.
• In spring and summer (alternate) plumage, Eastern Willet has a barred back (mantle) and barred tertials (long feathers lying over the primaries). Both yellowlegs in breeding plumage have spotted and checkered backs (mantle) and tertials with pale zigzag margins.
• Willet’s alarm and territorial call, pill-will-willet, is often repeated over and over. Yellowlegs emit tu-tu or tyou-tyou-tyou calls when alarmed, occasionally multiple times; both species also yodel.

Eastern Willet (EAWI) and Whimbrel (WHIM) are similar in size and have similar gray-brown plumage; see Fig. 17.

Note the following:

• Whimbrel is larger with a longer, downturned bill.
• In flight, Eastern Willet has flashing black-and-white wings from above and below. Whimbrel is brown above and pale below with no notable wing markings.
• Eastern Willet’s head has an indistinct brown cap and a pale line from the bill to above the eye (supercilium). Whimbrel’s head is distinctly marked with multiple brown and pale lines through the eyes and over the crown.

Eastern Willet (EAWI) is smaller than Hudsonian Godwit (HUGO). The birds are easily separated due to the shape of the bill: long, tapered and slightly upturned in Hudsonian Godwit, moderately long, thick, tubular and straight in Eastern Willet; see Fig. 18.

Note the following; see Fig. 19:

• Eastern Willet in flight has boldly marked black-and-white wings. Like Hudsonian Godwit, the underwing linings (front of the wing from the body out to about 2/3 of the wing) are very dark, nearly black. Willet, however, has a broad white wing stripe and the wing tips are blackish, both above and below.
• Eastern Willet’s wings are rounded compared to the wings of Hudsonian Godwit.
• Eastern Willet’s tail is pale with grayish barring toward the tip. Hudsonian Godwit’s tail is black and white.