My very silly mnemonic when I was starting to try to identify shorebirds was: willets have straight bills because the will is a straight and steady force; godwits want to know (old meaning of "wit") God, so their bills tilt heavenward; whimbrels follow their whims, which as we all know lead down to the other place. OK, these show more about the intellectual milieu in which I grew up than it does about birds, but they worked for me.
Genius. That is a wise and helpful mnemonic. Thank you.
My very silly mnemonic when I was starting to try to identify shorebirds was: willets have straight bills because the will is a straight and steady force; godwits want to know (old meaning of "wit") God, so their bills tilt heavenward; whimbrels follow their whims, which as we all know lead down to the other place. OK, these show more about the intellectual milieu in which I grew up than it does about birds, but they worked for me.