Top 10 Best Shorebirds (North America)

Willet

Willet or willet not flash those fancy wings? You never know… until it suddenly hits you with a full runway show mid-flight.

The stunt pilot of the coast, dive-bombing into the water with military precision and coming up with a mouthful of fish.

Loud, cheeky, and ready to steal your fries. Their call sounds like they're mocking you… because they are.

Bright orange bill built like a crowbar, specialized for prying open shellfish. Looks like it's wearing a tux with a safety cone on its face.

Tiny beach roadrunners frantically chasing waves like they've got three minutes left on the parking meter.

The shore's little construction worker, flipping over rocks like it's auditioning for a bird version of Extreme Makeover: Beach Edition.

The Darth Vader of the dock, drying its wings like it's about to give a villain monologue before diving for fish.

Drama queen of the marsh. Will fake a broken wing just to lure you away from its kids, then run off like nothing happened.

The graceful aerial acrobat who hovers in place, then dives like an Olympic champion to grab dinner.

The piping plover is a sand-colored, sparrow-sized shorebird that nests and feeds along coastal sand and gravel beaches in North America.

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A literal water katana. Flies with its lower bill slicing the surface like it's cutting sashimi midair.