woodcock, any of five species of squat-bodied, long-billed birds of damp, dense woodlands, allied to the snipes in the waterbird family Scolopacidae (order Charadriiformes). The woodcock is a startling game bird: crouched among dead leaves, well camouflaged by its buffy-brown, mottled plumage, a woodcock remains motionless until almost stepped upon and then takes off in an explosive movement. With its eyes set farther back on the head than those of any other bird, a woodcock has a 360° field of vision. The ear opening is located below, rather than behind, the eye socket.