NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Eurasian Woodcock
Scolopax rusticola Linnaeus, 1758
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Eurasian woodcock (Scolopax rusticola) is a medium-small wading bird found in temperate and subarctic Eurasia. It has cryptic camouflage to suit its woodland habitat, with reddish-brown upperparts and buff-coloured underparts. Its eyes are set far back on its head to give it 360-degree vision and it probes in the ground for food with its long, sensitive bill, making it vulnerable to cold weather when the ground remains frozen.
The male performs a courtship flight known as "roding" at dusk in spring. It is widely believed that the female will sometimes carry chicks between her legs whilst flying, though evidence of this is purely anecdotal. The world population is estimated to be 14 million to 16 million birds.
Wikipedia contributors, Eurasian woodcock; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T06:25:05.759977+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Scolopax rusticola Linnaeus, 1758
- Name authority
- Linnaeus, 1758
- Common name
- Eurasian Woodcock
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Scolopacidae
- Genus
- Scolopax
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderCharadriiformes
- familyScolopacidae Rafinesque, 1815
- genusScolopax Linnaeus, 1758
- speciesScolopax rusticola Linnaeus, 1758
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Scolopax. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Bukidnon WoodcockScolopax bukidnonensis R. S. Kennedy, T. H. Fisher, Harrap, Diesmos & Manamtam, 2001 | ScolopacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Sulawesi WoodcockScolopax celebensis Riley, 1921 | ScolopacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Amami WoodcockScolopax mira E. Hartert, 1916 | ScolopacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Javan WoodcockScolopax saturata Horsfield, 1821 | ScolopacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| American WoodcockScolopax minor J. F. Gmelin, 1789 | ScolopacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Moluccan WoodcockScolopax rochussenii Schlegel, 1866 | ScolopacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| New Guinea WoodcockScolopax rosenbergii Schlegel, 1871 | ScolopacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Scolopax rusticola rusticola Linnaeus, 1758 Linnaeus, 1758 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Europe & Northern Asia (excluding China)
North America
Southern Asia
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=176578 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:4VS4Z. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.