AnimalsWoods
Woodcock Fun facts for kids
Scolopax rusticola
The woodcock lives in damp woods in Europe and Asia and eats worms, mostly earthworms.
- Where it lives
- in damp woods in Europe and Asia
- What it eats
- worms, mostly earthworms
- How big it is
- about as big as a pigeon
Fun facts about the woodcock
The ones Sammy likes best. She tells them in the game, too.
The tip of its long beak can open all by itself while the rest stays shut, to grab worms deep in the ground.
A woodcock can see almost all the way around its head, even behind itself!
Its ears are in front of its eyes, which is very unusual for a bird.
Each wing has a tiny stiff feather that artists once used as a super thin paintbrush.
The tip of its beak is so sensitive that it can feel worms wiggling under the ground.
It often rocks its body back and forth as it walks, which may help it find worms.
Its colours look like dead leaves, so when it sits still on the forest floor it almost disappears.
Riddle
Can a friend guess it?
Read the clues to someone, one at a time, without saying the animal. How many clues do they need? Fewer is better, just like in the game.
By day I lie hidden on the damp forest floor, and I wake up when it gets dark.
My ears sit in front of my eyes, which is very unusual for a bird.
I can see almost all the way around my head, even behind me.
Artists once used a tiny stiff feather from my wing as a super thin paintbrush.
My long beak's tip opens by itself to grab earthworms deep under the forest floor.
Sammy might be thinking of a woodcock.
In Thought Zoo, Sammy picks an animal and you ask her yes-or-no questions to find it. You'll find the woodcock in the Woods adventure.
Play the WoodsComing to iPad, iPhone and Android on 12 January 2027
