In this quick tutorial you'll learn how to draw an American Woodcock in 7 easy steps - great for kids and novice artists.
The images above represent how your finished drawing is going to look and the steps involved.
Below are the individual steps - you can click on each one for a High Resolution printable PDF version.
At the bottom you can read some interesting facts about the American Woodcock.
Make sure you also check out any of the hundreds of drawing tutorials grouped by category.
How to Draw an American Woodcock - Step-by-Step Tutorial
Step 1: Make a half circle for the head, with a long skinny triangle for the beak.
Step 2: Next, draw the face. Make a circle for the eye and color it in, leaving a small white circle. Draw a short line right through the center. Next, draw a small line near the bottom of the beak, connecting it to the other side with a half circle shape.
Step 3: Now for the body. It is a small, chunky bird, so make a big curve on the bottom for the lower body and a nearly straight line for the back.
Step 4: The wing's top line has a small curve to it and an indent near the bottom. The lower line has a deep curve that ends in a triangle point. Draw some wavy lines at the top of the wing to make a pattern. It helps him blend into his surroundings!
Step 5: Draw a short leg and some narrow, pointy toes. Make sure to add one on the back.
Step 6: Do the same for the other leg. You're doing a great job!
Step 7: Add the tail by drawing a curved line from the back foot past the wing and up into a point. Draw another straight line from the end of the back up to the point. Next, add some wavy lines to the face and one to the tail. Congratulations, your American woodcock is done! To make it more realistic, you can color it. They are typically brown, black, and tan so that they can blend in with the forest floor.
Interesting Facts about American Woodcocks
The American Woodcock has great camouflage. The bird lives near water and grassy fields, but it is often hiding. American Woodcocks are chubby little birds that use a long beak to poke at the ground to find food. They eat things like worms, spiders, termites out of the dirt. American Woodcocks grow to be 9-12 inches long. An American Woodcocks nest is built on the ground. In most cases it is just some flattened leaves and the eggs.
Did you know?
- Better known as a Timberdoodle in some areas.
- The courtship of an American Woodcock is so involved that only certain settings will do for a male and female to even consider mating (example being the thickets for nesting.)
- A common predator is a regular house cat.
- American Woodcocks live in the wild for 8 years.
- The oldest American Woodcock was 11 years and 4 months.
Lesson Plan Note: American Woodcocks could be used for a study of animals that use camouflage. There are many lizards, spiders, insects, and even big cats that can demonstrate the art of concealment. A fun way to start is to see how much the class actually knows about camouflage and its uses.
How to Draw an American Woodcock – Step-by-Step Tutorial