Description:
The willet is a crow-sized shorebird that reaches approximately 15 inches in height. The bill is straight and somewhat thick in comparison to other shorebirds.  Body color is typically gray-brown dorsally, with mottled brown markings over the head, breast and shoulders.  Wings are mostly black, but have a wide stripe of white that runs on both sides at the base of the flight feathers.  Legs are gray in color, as is the tail.  The rump, however, is white. 

Habitat:
Willets commonly utilize a variety of habitats for feeding including beaches, mudflats, mangroves, impoundments and salt marsh.  They breed in salt marshes and in freshwater prairie potholes. 

Similar Species:
Willets can be confused with the greater yellowlegs, Tringa melanoleuca. However, they are easily distinguished by leg color:  gray in the willet, and yellow in T. melanoleuca. 

Range:
The breeding range of the willet extends from Nova Scotia south through the Eastern United States and along the Gulf Shore.  There are also breeding population centers in Central Canada,  Northern California, Nebraska and the Dakotas.