Woodcock

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Woodcock

Artist Frank Weston Benson (American, 1862-1951)

Dateafter 1928

Dimensions11 13/16 x 9 11/16 in.

MediumDrypoint

ClassificationPrints

Credit LineGift of Joseph Hearst

Object number

1951.411

Not on View

Label TextEach spring as dusk falls, the male American Woodcock’s nasal “peent” call, his in-flight chirping, and the whirring twitter sound made by his wings as he performs aerial acrobatics in a spectacular mating display can be heard along the edge of wooded areas in the eastern half of the United States. A plump shorebird that incongruously lives in the woods and feeds on earthworms, the woodcock is a peculiar sight with its large, dark eyes, long beak, and slow, rocking gate as it attempts to stir up worms beneath the soil.Published ReferencesPaff catalogue 292Exhibition HistoryToledo Museum of Art, For the Birds, April 13-October 14, 2012.