Limnodromus fossil map
Where fossils of Limnodromus have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 0 million years ago and on today’s map.
Dots are fossil collections recorded in the Paleobiology Database. The “then” view moves today’s fossil sites back to their positions 0 million years ago (the time slice nearest the median age of the fossils) using the Merdith et al. (2021) plate model; positions are approximate. Open on the timeline map →
| Group | Prehistoric birds |
|---|---|
| Lived | 4.7 million years ago to the present (Zanclean to Holocene) |
| Periods | Neogene, Quaternary |
| Family | Scolopacidae |
| Named by | Wied-Neuwied 1833 |
| Fossil records | 18 occurrences at 12 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | United States |
| Rock formations | txn:39581, Tamiami |
About Limnodromus
The three dowitchers are medium-sized long-billed wading birds in the genus Limnodromus. The English name "dowitcher" is from Iroquois, recorded in English by the 1830s.
They resemble godwits in body and bill shape, and the reddish underparts in summer, but are much shorter legged, more like snipes, to which they are more closely related. All three are strongly migratory.
The two North American species are difficult to separate in most plumages, and were considered a single species for many years. The Asian bird is rare and not well known.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Dowitcher (revision 1379733512), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; introduction excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Ages, family, authority and fossil records: Paleobiology Database, accessed 23 October 2026. Ages are those of the rock layers the fossils were found in. Wikidata: Q838747.
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