 Breeding evidence |
 Relative abundance |
 Probability of observation |
Click for a larger version or to add map overlays |
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Click on plot to view table of mean abundance
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Number of squares
Long-term BBS trends
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-0.546 (-1.07 - -0.0183)|
Mean abundance (number of birds detected per 5 min. point count) and percentage of squares occupied by region Bird Conservation Regions [abund. plot]
[%squares plot]
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Atlas Results
Atlas results coming soon
Note: During all years of the Saskatchewan Breeding Bird Atlas drought conditions persisted and the Atlas range maps for all waterfowl, waterbirds, and wetland-associated species should be viewed as characteristic of distribution and abundance during dry conditions. Read the full drought statement here.
Excerpts Adapted from the Birds of Saskatchewan:
A rather drab bird until it opens its wings to display large black and white wing stripes, the Willet can be very vocal, particularly when protecting young. Willets breed in 2 disjunct areas (Godfrey 1986): the grasslands of Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and the American Great Basin; and the Atlantic coast from the Maritimes south to northern Mexico. They winter on the Atlantic, Gulf, and Pacific Coasts south to South America.
Willets breed in relatively low vegetation in upland areas, primarily native or seeded grasslands, but also in cropland. Nests are usually several hundred metres but up to several kilometres from sparsely vegetated, shallow wetlands (Roy 1996, Lowther et al. 2001, J. H. Devries). In spring at Little Quill Lake, the birds use smaller marsh habitats, but in fall, mostly lakeshore (Alexander and Gratto- Trevor 1997).
The Willet is a common summer resident in the grasslands and parklands, becoming uncommon at the southern edges of the southern boreal region (Smith 1996). Although most birds are thinly spread over ranchland and farmland, numbers exceeding 100 may occur on large saline lakes from early May to late July. These sites are important staging areas for pre- and post-breeding birds, and presumably for non-breeding birds or failed breeders. About half of Canadian Willets are thought to breed in Saskatchewan, about 18% of the world population (Lowther et al. 2001, CLGT).
Original text by Cheri L. Gratto-Trevor. Text adapted by Daniel J. Sawatzky
Read more about the Willet in the Birds of Saskatchewan here.
Recommended citation: Latremouille, L. M. 2025. Willet in Latremouille, L. M., S. L. Van Wilgenburg, C. B. Jardine, D. Lepage, A. R. Couturier, D. Evans, D. Iles, and K. L. Drake (eds.). 2025. The Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Saskatchewan, 2017-2021. Birds Canada. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan https://sk.birdatlas.ca/accounts/speciesaccount.jsp?sp=WILL&lang=en [09 Nov 2025]
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