In flight, both Long and Short-billed dowitchers show a rather plump outline with fairly narrow wings that have a fine pale trailing edge to the secondaries. Both species have a white rump patch that shows as a narrow slit between the tertials. During their southward migration the Long-billed dowitchers will stop along the way and under go a complete wing and body molt. The Long-billed dowitcher migrates along both the coast and the interior of the west coast states and Canada. The Short-billed dowitcher primarily migrates down the Pacific Coast rarely venturing inland.
Dowitchers nest in grass or moss tundra, wet meadows, and bogs in boreal forests.
The Short-billed dowitchers will build a scrape nest in a clump of moss, which is scantily lined with fine twigs, leaves and fine grass. Both species will lay four eggs and incubate for 20-21 days, with both male and female taking part in the incubation. The diet and foraging patterns of both species are identical. Dowitchers feed on aquatic insects, small mollusks, crustaceans, marine worms, and the seeds of aquatic plants. Dowitchers forage by moving at a slow steady pace while probing their heads rapidly up and down in soft moist mud, often completely submerging their heads.