Editing Short-billed dowitcher (section)

{{short description|Species of bird}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Short-Billed Dowitcher - (Limnodromus griseus) East Point Lighthouse, Delaware Bay, New Jersey, USA.jpg
| image caption = A Short-billed dowtcher (''L. griseus griseus'') in breeding plumage.
| image2 = Short-billed dowitcher  in JBWR (40844).jpg
| status = VU
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 12 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=BirdLife International |date=2016 |title=''Limnodromus griseus'' |volume=2016 |page=e.T22693344A93396788 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22693344A93396788.en |access-date=12 November 2021}}</ref>
| taxon = Limnodromus griseus
| authority = ([[Johann Friedrich Gmelin|Gmelin, JF]], 1789)
| synonyms = *''Scolopax grisea'' <small>Gmelin, 1789</small>
| range_map = Limnodromus griseus map.svg
| range_map_caption =  {{leftlegend|#FF7F2A|Breeding}}{{leftlegend|#FFDD55|Migration}}{{leftlegend|#5F8DD3|Nonbreeding}}
}}
[[File:SB Dowitcher Bath.png|right|thumb|A Short-billed Dowitcher bathing in the Delaware Bay.]]
[[File:Short-billed Dowitcher standing in front of Red Knot (09-09-2007).jpg|thumb|Adult in foreground, [[red knot]] in background]]

The '''short-billed dowitcher''' ('''''Limnodromus griseus'''''), like its congener the [[long-billed dowitcher]], is a medium-sized, stocky, long-billed [[shorebird]] in the family [[Scolopacidae]].

It is an inhabitant of [[North America]], [[Central America]], the [[Caribbean]], and northern [[South America]].<ref name=AOU/> It is strongly migratory; it completely vacates in breeding areas during the snow-bound months.<ref name=Sibley/> This species favors a variety of habitats including [[tundra]] in the north to [[ponds]] and [[mudflats]] in the south. It feeds on invertebrates often by rapidly probing its bill into mud in a sewing machine fashion.<ref name=Paulson/> It and the very similar [[long-billed dowitcher]] were considered one species until 1950.<ref name=Kaufmann/> Field identification of the two American ''[[Limnodromus]]'' remains difficult today. Distinguishing wintering or juvenile short-billed dowitchers from the long-billed species is very difficult and, even given examination their subtlety different body shapes, cannot always be isolated to a particular species. They differ most substantially in vocalizations. The names of American dowitchers are misleading, as there is much overlap in their bill lengths.<ref name=Paulson/><ref name=Kaufmann/> Only a small percentage can be identified by this character alone.<ref name=Kaufmann/>