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American woodcock Scolopax minor (hereafter woodcock) migration ecology is poorly understood, but has implications for population ecology and management, especially related to harvest. To describe woodcock migration patterns and phenology, we captured and equipped 73 woodcock with satellite tracking devices in the Central Management Region (analogous to the Mississippi Flyway) of North America and documented migration paths of 60 individual woodcock and 87 autumn or spring woodcock migrations during 2014–2016. Woodcock migration at the scale of the Central Management Region was more synchronous in spring than in autumn, but unlike most other migratory birds, average duration of autumn migration (31 days) was shorter than duration of spring migration (53 days). This difference in migration duration resulted from woodcock making more close-together migratory stopovers during spring migration, not because woodcock had individual stopovers of longer duration. During autumn migration, the number of days, the number of stopovers, migration end date and net migration displacement were negatively related to initiation date and rate of migration, and the number of stopovers and the net migration displacement were negatively related with migration end date. Spring migration duration, end date, the number of stopovers and net migration displacement were negatively related to migration rate and initiation date was positively related to migration rate, suggesting that woodcock that initiated spring migration later had faster migration rates. Juvenile female woodcock began spring migration later than adult female woodcock. Our results provide a basis for comparing current harvest seasons with presence of migrating woodcock during autumn and provide insight into differential harvest of migratory versus local woodcock on breeding areas.

Recent technological developments in video surveillance help shed light on the behavior and ecology of nesting birds. There is little information regarding breeding ecology of white-tipped doves (Leptotilaverreauxi), an elusive gamebird in southern Texas. Our objective was to describe parental attendance during the nesting season. We located nests in citrus groves and remnant woodlands. We used video camera systems to monitor parental behavior at the nest. We sampled video to establish time budgets for 13 nests, including 9 that reached the nestling stage. White-tipped doves take part in continual nest attendance, except for brief periods when the parents switch nesting duties. Female white-tipped doves attend the nest during the night and into the morning hours, when the male relieves her. The female forages throughout the day and returns in the evening, trading places with the male. White-tipped dove parental behavior was consistent with other columbid species.