CreatureData

Willet

Tringa semipalmata (J. F. Gmelin, 1789)

LCLeast Concernbirds

The willet (Tringa semipalmata) is a species in the family Scolopacidae, order Charadriiformes. Recorded adults weigh 245.7 g to 301.4 g and live up to 8.92 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Willet (Tringa semipalmata)
Photo: Andrea Westmoreland from DeLand, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the willet

Weight
245.7 g – 301.4 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Wingspan
56 cm – 66 cmsrc for Wingspan
Lifespan
8.92 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Aquatic predatorsrc for Diet
Longest recorded lifespan
12.6 years
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
coastalsrc for Habitat
Egg incubation
23.5 dayssrc for Egg incubation
Young per litter or clutch
4src for Young per litter or clutch
Age at maturity
24 monthssrc for Age at maturity
Litters or clutches a year
1src for Litters or clutches a year
Lifestyle
Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Migratorysrc for Migration
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

How big is the willet?

WILLET · WINGSPAN 66 CMADULT HUMAN · HEIGHT 1.7 M
At 66 cm, the recorded maximum wingspan of the willet is about 39% of the height of an adult human (1.7 m, a fixed reference used for scale).

Where does the willet live?

Not recorded

What is the willet?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The saltmarsh willet or willet (Tringa semipalmata) is a large shorebird in the family Scolopacidae. It is a relatively large and robust sandpiper and is the largest of the species called "shanks" in the genus Tringa. Its closest relative is the lesser yellowlegs, a much smaller bird with a very different appearance apart from the fine, clear, and dense pattern of the neck, which both species show in breeding plumage. It breeds in North America and the West Indies and winters in southern North America, Central America, the West Indies and South America.

From the Wikipedia article “Willet” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Willet&oldid=1383440087), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the willet endangered?

The willet is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.

How is the willet classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderCharadriiformes
  5. familyScolopacidae
  6. genusTringa
  7. SpeciesTringa semipalmata (J. F. Gmelin, 1789)

Synonyms Symphemia semipalmata

Other names and names in other languages (58)
  • Semipalmated snipeEnglish
  • ويليتArabic
  • طيطوي شبه مكففArabic
  • Ципокрак водобегачBulgarian
  • Strelleg dambalvezekBreton
  • gamba alanegraCatalan
  • vodouš břehoušovitýCzech
  • SchlammtreterGerman
  • Κατοπτροφόρος ΤρύγγαςGreek
  • ŜlimtringoEsperanto
  • duonpalmopieda tringoEsperanto
  • PigüiloSpanish
  • ChorloSpanish
  • Playero ala blancaSpanish
  • Playero aliblancoSpanish
  • Playero de Ala BlancaSpanish
  • Playero grandeSpanish
  • Playero pihuiuíSpanish
  • Vadeador AliblancoSpanish
  • suurtilderEstonian
  • آبچلیک فربهPersian
  • preeriavikloFinnish
  • Chevalier semipalméFrench
  • BuiléadIrish
  • Aile blanchegcf
  • ChululuGuarani
  • Bekasin zèl blanchHaitian Creole
  • בבואןHebrew
  • בבואן קרום-אצבעותHebrew
  • šarenokrila prutkaCroatian
  • lármás cankóHungarian
  • FjörustelkurIcelandic
  • totano semipalmatoItalian
  • Piro piro semipalmatoItalian
  • ハジロオオシギJapanese
  • Didysis tilvikasLithuanian
  • didžiasnapis tilvikasLithuanian
  • dižā tilbeLatvian
  • Американска трингаMacedonian
  • willetsnipeNorwegian
  • Snepi Ala di StrepiPapiamento
  • błotowiecPolish
  • błotowiec (nadmorski)Polish
  • błotowiec nadmorskiPolish
  • maçarico-d'asa-brancaPortuguese
  • maçarico-de-asa-brancaPortuguese
  • Перепончатопалый улитRussian
  • GuškilčoavžžuNorthern Sami
  • kalužiak bahennýSlovak
  • viletSlovenian
  • Šarenokrili sprudnikSerbian
  • willetsnäppaSwedish
  • Boz DüdükçünTurkish
  • boz düdükçün kuşuTurkish
  • коловодник американськийUkrainian
  • 北美鷸Chinese
  • 半蹼白翅鷸Chinese
  • 斑翅鹬Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List

Relatives of the willet

Other species in the same genus Tringa.

CompareWillet vs Common redshankWillet vs Common greenshankWillet vs Green sandpiperWillet vs Wood sandpiper

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the willet?

An adult willet weighs 245.7 g – 301.4 g and has a wingspan of 56 cm – 66 cm, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the willet endangered?

The willet is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

How long does the willet live?

The willet has a recorded lifespan of 8.92 years.

What kind of animal is the willet?

The willet (Tringa semipalmata) belongs to the family Scolopacidae in the order Charadriiformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Willet (Tringa semipalmata). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/willet

MLA

“Willet (Tringa semipalmata).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/willet.

BibTeX
@misc{willet_2026,
  title = {Willet (Tringa semipalmata)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/willet},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}