Birders Aflutter As Limpkin Spotted In Wall; Only NJ Sighting

WALL, NJ — Bird experts in the state had a a thrill this week when they learned a limpkin was spotted in a manicured Wall backyard, New Jersey Audubon senior naturalist Scott Barnes said.

The limpkin, so named from Colonial times for its limping gait, is abundant in Florida and southern Louisiana.

But for some reason, the bird lately has been seen in various parts of the U.S. and even Canada - something "very, vary rare," he said.

Barnes, a senior naturalist at the Audubon Cape May Bird Observatory, said there have now been sightings of the limpkin in 24 states and in two provinces of Canada.

The birds usually favor wetlands or rivers, and favor what is considered a human delicacy - snails.

"The Florida apple snail makes up the majority of their diet," Barnes said. They also eat the Island apple snail, possibly spread on the mainland through normal interaction and trade.

Whatever the reason, the sighting of the bird in Wall is the only one in New Jersey. And he - or she - is still there, Barnes said.

"Only a limpkin really knows if it's male or female," he noted.

"I was eager to see the first one," Barnes said and he took a photo of it. He said birders were anticipating the event as sightings around the country increased.

Barnes grew up with his family camping and canoeing, but not really birding. But as a naturalist, he is dedicated to birding now.

New Jersey Audubon is based in Bernardsville and runs five sanctuaries and nature centers around the state. It is a privately supported, not-for profit organization founded in 1897, and is one of the oldest independent Audubon societies, its website states.

The limpkin is clearly being drawn to these areas by the food they eat, Barnes said, and this limpkin seems to be doing well in New Jersey suburbia. He was just spotted at an athletic field in Church Street near Route 35 in Wall, Barnes said.

A limpkin spotted in Elmira, NY, was seen eating an earthworm, so they are not fussy about eating only snails. And Barnes said the Wall limpkin was seen eating earthworms too.

While near the Manasquan River and other wetlands - especially as the limpkin flies - the bird seemed quite content to stay in the backyard with ivy and soft grass, Barnes observed.

A limpkin is much smaller than a heron and brown and white - not as colorful. It also resembles a crane or rails.

But it's truly in a class by itself.

"It resembles a small heron or ibis, but it's not related," Barnes said.

It's a single species in a singular family - with long toes and a long beak, he said.

The sound the limpkin makes is one of its defining characteristics, Barnes said, and so makes it popular to use for movie sound effects. Check out the sound at the Cornell Labs All About Birds site.

"If you hear an eerie bird sound or a sound in a jungle in a movie" Barnes said it could very well be a limpkin.

Another term one might hear about these sightings is a reference to a "vagrant limpkin." But that is just a birding term to indicate a bird that wanders out of its normal range, Barnes said.

And the Wall limpkin seems to be able to live quite well off the land - without needing a handout.

If your interest in other birds has been piqued by the limpkin sighting, Barnes recommends the Cornell Labs site, which you can access here.