Difference between revisions of "Bar-tailed Godwit" - BirdForum Opus

Latest revision as of 00:56, 8 March 2023

Adult summer nominate L. l. lapponica
Photo © by postcardcv
Titchwell Marsh, Norfolk, 9 August 2006

Limosa lapponica

Identification

Adult winter nominate L. l. lapponica
Photo © by Graham Raine
Titchwell Marsh, Norfolk, 30 November 2003

37–41 cm (14½-16 in)
In breeding plumage: belly rufous with no or little barring, upperparts dark, and bill slightly upturned, dark with paler base.
In non-breeding plumage: breast finely streaked grey, belly whitish, back grey with streaking, bill bicoloured with pink base, and long supercilium extending back past eye.
In juvenile plumage: breast pale buff-grey, back patterned with white and buffy-grey, upturned bill bicoloured, and long supercilium extending back past eye.
In flight: inner wings grey, outer wing dark grey; no wingbar. Tail finely barred grey. Rump and lower back white or grey, depending on subspecies.

Variation

Western birds (more or less the first three subspecies) have white on rump, lower back and underwing; subspecies from further east have barring on these areas with the ones from eastern Siberia and Alaska strongly barred grey.

Similar Species

Black-tailed Godwit, which has a straighter bill, solid black tail tip, and strong white wingbar (see comparison image^[1]); and from Eurasian Curlew and Whimbrel which both have down-curved beaks.

Distribution

Subspecies L. l. taymyrensis, wintering at west coast of India; other birds seen are Lesser Sand Plover and Terek Sandpiper
Photo © by Alok Tewari
Jamnagar, Gujarat, India, 19 December 2017

Breeds in northern Palearctic: extreme northern Scandinavia (Norway, Finland, limited in Sweden), Arctic Russia (Kola Peninsula eastwards), and Alaska.
Migration most active March to early June (south to north), and August-October (north to south). Seen regularly en route through the Baltic Sea, North Sea, and Atlantic coasts. Rare to find any distance inland.
Winters to southern Africa and Australasia. Immature birds (one year old) often remain in the wintering range for their entire first summer.

Vagrancy

Vagrant north to Svalbard, Iceland and the Faroe Islands; Cyprus and eastern Mediterranean countries; Madeira and the Azores. Casual vagrant in North America on both coasts.

Taxonomy

Subspecies

Five subspecies currently accepted^[1]:

L. l. lapponica:

breeds from northern Scandinavia east to the Kanin Peninsula (northwestern Russia); winters from the North Sea, western Iberia, and northwestern Africa south to western South Africa

L. l. yamalensis:

Breeds on the northern West-Siberian Plain, including the Yamal Peninsula and the lower Ob River Valley; winter range incompletely known, but extends from Oman east to western India, and probably the east coast of Africa, perhaps south to South Africa

L. l. taymyrensis:

Breeds north central Siberia, roughly from the lower Yenisei River Valley east to the lower Anabar River Valley; winter range incompletely known but primarily coasts of West Africa

L. l. menzbieri:

Northern Siberia; winters south-east Asia to coastal Australia, Tasmania (included in L. l. baueri by some authors).

L. l. anadyrensis:

breeds eastern Siberia (Chukotka and Anadyr lowlands); winters in Australia, possibly also New Zealand

L. l. baueri:

North-eastern Siberia to western Alaska; winters coastal China to New Zealand.

Habitat

Breeding plumage
Photo © by Digiscoper321
West Sweden, 5 July 2016

Coastal estuaries and sheltered sandy shores.
Arctic breeding habitat is lowland tundra; sometimes in upland areas and among trees.

Behaviour

A very strong migrant; L. l. baueri makes the longest non-stop flights of any bird, over 11,500 km from Alaska to New Zealand during autumn migration (but two stages on spring migration, with a stop-over on the east coast of China)^[4].

Very gregarious in the winter, forming huge flocks with other waders at the water's edge.

Diet

The diet includes worms, snails and insects.

Breeding

It nests on the ground, usually in short vegetation, in marshy areas above the tree-line.

Vocalisation

Gallery

Click images to see larger version

Subspecies L. l. taymyrensis showing tail-bars
By Alok Tewari
Jamnagar, West Coast, Gujarat , India, 19 December 2017

References

Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2022. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2022. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
Gill, F, D Donsker, and P Rasmussen (Eds). 2022. IOC World Bird List (v 12.2) DRAFT. Doi 10.14344/IOC.ML.12.2. http://www.worldbirdnames.org/
Del Hoyo, J, A Elliot, and J Sargatal, eds. 1996. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 3: Hoatzin to Auks. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8487334207
Gill, R. E., Tibbitts, T. L., Douglas, D. C., Handel, C. M., Mulcahy, D. M., Gottschalck, J. C., Warnock, N., McCaffery, B. J., Battley, P. F., & Piersma, T. (2008). Extreme endurance flights by landbirds crossing the Pacific Ocean: ecological corridor rather than barrier? Proc Biol Sci. 276 (1656): 447–457.
BirdLife International. 2016. Limosa lapponica. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T22693158A93386492. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22693158A93386492.en. Downloaded on 26 March 2017.
Gerard Hutching, 'Wading birds - Bar-tailed godwits', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/wading-birds/page-7 (accessed 26 March 2017)
McCaffery, Brian J. and Robert E. Gill. (2001). Bar-tailed Godwit (Limosa lapponica), The Birds of North America (P. G. Rodewald, Ed.). Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology; Retrieved from the Birds of North America: https://birdsna.org/Species-Account/bna/species/batgod DOI: 10.2173/bna.581
Piersma, T., Lok, T., Chen, Y., Hassell, C. J., Yang, H.-Y., Boyle, A., Slaymaker, M., Chan, Y.-C., Melville, D. S., Zhang, Z.-W. and Ma, Z. (2016), Simultaneous declines in summer survival of three shorebird species signals a flyway at risk. J Appl Ecol, 53: 479ñ490. doi:10.1111/1365-2664.12582
Van Gils, J., Wiersma, P., Sharpe, C.J. & Boesman, P. (2017). Bar-tailed Godwit (Limosa lapponica). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from http://www.hbw.com/node/53890 on 26 March 2017).
Woodley, K. 2013. Bar-tailed godwit in Miskelly, C.M. (ed.) New Zealand Birds Online. www.nzbirdsonline.org.nz
Fitter, R.S.R. & Richardson, R.A. (1966). Pocket Guide to British Birds. London: Collins.
Peterson, RT, G Mountfort and PAD Hollom. 1993. Collins Field Guide – Birds of Britain and Europe, 5th Revised edition. London: HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN 978-0002199001
Grant, P.J., K. Mullarney, L. Svensson, D. Zetterstrom (1999) Collins Bird Guide: The Most Complete Field Guide to the Birds of Britain and Europe. Harpercollins Pub Ltd ISBN 0 00 219728 6
Arthur Grosset's Birds

List of references

Recommended Citation

BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Bar-tailed Godwit. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 3 May 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Bar-tailed_Godwit

External Links

Search for photos of Bar-tailed Godwit in the gallery

GSearch checked for 2020 platform.

Retrieved from ‘https://www.birdforum.net/wiki/index.php?title=Bar-tailed_Godwit&oldid=263254’

Categories:

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-[[Image:Bar-tailed_Godwit.jpg|thumb|550px|right|Photo by {{user|Ragna|Ragna}}]]
+[[Image:barwit_breeding.jpg|thumb|550px|right|Adult summer nominate ''L. l. lapponica''<br />Photo &copy; by {{user|postcardcv|postcardcv}}<br />[[Titchwell Marsh]], [[Norfolk]], 9 August 2006]]
 ;[[:Category:Limosa|Limosa]] lapponica
 ==Identification==
-In '''Breeding''' plumage: belly rufous with no or little barring, and dark bill slightly upturned.<br />
+[[Image:Bar-tailed_Godwit.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Adult winter nominate ''L. l. lapponica''<br />Photo &copy; by {{user|Ragna|Graham Raine}}<br />[[Titchwell Marsh]], [[Norfolk]], 30 November 2003]]
-In '''Non-breeding''' plumage: back gray with streaking, upturned bill bicolored, and long supercilium extending back past eye.<br />
+–41 cm (14½-16 in)<br />
-In '''Juvenile''' plumage: back patterned with white and gray, upturned bill bicolored, and long supercilium extending back past eye.
+In '''breeding''' plumage: belly rufous with no or little barring, upperparts dark, and bill slightly upturned, dark with paler base.<br />
+In '''non-breeding''' plumage: breast finely streaked grey, belly whitish, back grey with streaking, bill bicoloured with pink base, and long supercilium extending back past eye.<br />
+In '''juvenile''' plumage: breast pale buff-grey, back patterned with white and buffy-grey, upturned bill bicoloured, and long supercilium extending back past eye.<br />
+In '''flight''': inner wings grey, outer wing dark grey; no wingbar. Tail finely barred grey. Rump and lower back white or grey, depending on subspecies.
+====Variation====
+Western birds (more or less the first three subspecies) have white on rump, lower back and underwing; subspecies from further east have barring on these areas with the ones from eastern Siberia and Alaska strongly barred grey.
 ====Similar Species====
-[[Black-tailed Godwit]], which has a straighter bill; and from [[Eurasian Curlew]] and [[Whimbrel]] which both have down-curved beaks.
+[[Black-tailed Godwit]], which has a straighter bill, solid black tail tip, and strong white wingbar (see comparison image<sup>[[#References|[1]]]</sup>); and from [[Eurasian Curlew]] and [[Whimbrel]] which both have down-curved beaks.
 ==Distribution==
-[[Image:barwit_breeding.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Alternate plumage; photo by {{user|postcardcv|postcardcv}}]]
+[[Image:bar_tailed_godwit_alok.JPG|thumb|350px|right|Subspecies ''L. l. taymyrensis'', wintering at west coast of India; other birds seen are Lesser Sand Plover and Terek Sandpiper<br />Photo &copy; by {{user|aloktewari|Alok Tewari}}<br />Jamnagar, Gujarat, [[India]], 19 December 2017]]
-*Breeds in northern [[Palearctic]]: extreme northern [[Scandinavia]] ([[Norway]], [[Finland]], limited in [[Sweden]]), [[Arctic]] [[Russia]] (Kola Peninsula eastwards), and [[Alaska]].
+*Breeds in northern [[Palearctic]]: extreme northern [[Scandinavia]] ([[Norway]], [[Finland]], limited in [[Sweden]]), Arctic [[Russia]] (Kola Peninsula eastwards), and [[Alaska]].
-*Migration most active March-April (south to north), and August-October (north to south). Seen regularly en route through the Baltic Sea, North Sea, and Atlantic coasts. Rare to find any distance inland.
+*Migration most active March to early June (south to north), and August-October (north to south). Seen regularly en route through the Baltic Sea, North Sea, and Atlantic coasts. Rare to find any distance inland.
-*Winters to southern [[Africa]] and [[Australasia]]. A varying concentration of individuals will occur year-round in this non-breeding range.
+*Winters to southern [[Africa]] and [[Australasia]]. Immature birds (one year old) often remain in the wintering range for their entire first summer.
 ====Vagrancy====
-Vagrant north to [[Svalbard]], [[Iceland]] and the [[Faroe Islands]]; [[Cyprus]] and eastern [[Mediterranean]] countries; [[Madeira]] and the [[Azores]].
+Vagrant north to [[Svalbard]], [[Iceland]] and the [[Faroe Islands]]; [[Cyprus]] and eastern [[Mediterranean]] countries; [[Madeira]] and the [[Azores]]. Casual vagrant in [[North America]] on both coasts.
-Casual vagrant in [[North America]] on both coasts.
 ==Taxonomy==
-[[Image:BARTGODWIT019.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Photo by {{user|I4ani|I4ani}}<br />Brignogan Plage, Brittany, [[France]], September 2008]]
+====Subspecies====
-Some authorities show 4 subspecies<sup>[[#References|[2]]]</sup>.
-====Subspecies<sup>[[#References|[1]]]</sup>====
+Five subspecies currently accepted<sup>[[#References|[1]]]</sup>:
 *''L. l. lapponica'':
-:* Bar-tailed Godwit (European): [[Lapland]] to Taymyr Peninsula; winters to [[Africa]] and [[India]]
+:*breeds from northern [[Scandinavia]] east to the Kanin Peninsula (northwestern [[Russia]]); winters from the North Sea, western [[Iberia]], and northwestern [[Africa]] south to western [[South Africa]]
-*''L. l. menzbieri'':
+*''L. l. yamalensis'':
-:*Northern [[Siberia]]; winters South-eastern [[Asia]] to coastal [[Australia]], [[Tasmania]]
+:*Breeds on the northern West-Siberian Plain, including the Yamal Peninsula and the lower Ob River Valley; winter range incompletely known, but extends from [[Oman]] east to western [[India]], and probably the east coast of [[Africa]], perhaps south to [[South Africa]]
-*''L. l. baueri'':
+*''L. l. taymyrensis'':
-:*Bar-tailed Godwit (Siberian): North-eastern [[Siberia]] to western [[Alaska]]; winters [[China]] to [[New Zealand]]
+:*Breeds north central Siberia, roughly from the lower Yenisei River Valley east to the lower Anabar River Valley; winter range incompletely known but primarily coasts of West [[Africa]]
+*''L. l. menzbieri'':
+:*Northern Siberia; winters south-east Asia to coastal [[Australia]], [[Tasmania]] (included in ''L. l. baueri'' by some authors).
+*''L. l. anadyrensis'':
+:*breeds eastern [[Siberia]] (Chukotka and Anadyr lowlands); winters in [[Australia]], possibly also [[New Zealand]]
+*''L. l. baueri'':
+:*North-eastern Siberia to western [[Alaska]]; winters coastal [[China]] to [[New Zealand]].
 ==Habitat==
+[[Image:Myrspov2.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Breeding plumage<br />Photo &copy; by {{user|Digiscoper321|Digiscoper321}}<br />West [[Sweden]], 5 July 2016]]
 *Coastal estuaries and sheltered sandy shores.
 *Arctic breeding habitat is lowland tundra; sometimes in upland areas and among trees.
 ==Behaviour==
+A very strong migrant; ''L. l. baueri'' makes the longest non-stop flights of any bird, over 11,500 km from [[Alaska]] to [[New Zealand]] during autumn migration (but two stages on spring migration, with a stop-over on the east coast of [[China]])<sup>[[#References|[4]]]</sup>.
 Very gregarious in the winter, forming huge flocks with other waders at the water's edge.
 ====Diet====
 The diet includes worms, snails and insects.
 ====Breeding====
+[[Image:Bar-tailed Godwit 2-1.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Subspecies ''menzbieri''<br />Photo &copy; by {{user|Ken+Doy|Ken Doy}}<br />Wellington Point, Brisbane, [[Queensland]], January 2019]]
 It nests on the ground, usually in short vegetation, in marshy areas above the tree-line.
-===Vocalisation===
+====Vocalisation====
-<flashmp3>Limosa lapponica (song).mp3</flashmp3><br />
+{{Audio|Limosa lapponica (song).mp3}}
-''[[Media:Limosa lapponica (song).mp3|Listen in an external program]]''
+==Gallery==
+[[Image:BARTGODWIT019.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Juvenile ''L. l. lapponica''<br /> Photo &copy; by {{user|I4ani|I4ani}}<br />Brignogan Plage, Brittany, [[France]], September 2008]]
+Click images to see larger version
+<gallery>
+Image:bar_tailed_godwit_2_alok.JPG|Subspecies ''L. l. taymyrensis'' showing tail-bars<br />By {{user|aloktewari|Alok Tewari}}<br />Jamnagar, West Coast, Gujarat , [[India]], 19 December 2017
+Image:IMG 20190511 224716.jpg|[[Bar-tailed Godwit]] left, [[Black-tailed Godwit]] right <br />Photo &copy; by {{user|Andy+Hall|Andy Hall}}<br /> Texel, Netherlands, 11 May 2019
+</gallery>
 ==References==
-#{{Ref-Clements6thDec08}}#Avibase
+#{{Ref-Clements6thOct22}}#{{Ref-GillDonskerRasmussen22V12.2}}#{{Ref-HBWVol3}}#Gill, R. E., Tibbitts, T. L., Douglas, D. C., Handel, C. M., Mulcahy, D. M., Gottschalck, J. C., Warnock, N., McCaffery, B. J., Battley, P. F., & Piersma, T. (2008). Extreme endurance flights by landbirds crossing the Pacific Ocean: ecological corridor rather than barrier? ''Proc Biol Sci''. [http://alaska.usgs.gov/science/biology/avian_influenza/pdfs/Gill_et_al_2008_Godwit_Migration.pdf 276 (1656): 447–457].
-#Collins Pocket Guide to British Birds 1966
+#BirdLife International. 2016. ''Limosa lapponica''. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T22693158A93386492. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22693158A93386492.en. Downloaded on 26 March 2017.
-#Collins Field Guide 5th Edition
+#Gerard Hutching, 'Wading birds - Bar-tailed godwits', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/wading-birds/page-7 (accessed 26 March 2017)
-#Collins Bird Guide ISBN 0 00 219728 6
+#McCaffery, Brian J. and Robert E. Gill. (2001). Bar-tailed Godwit (''Limosa lapponica''), The Birds of North America (P. G. Rodewald, Ed.). Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology; Retrieved from the Birds of North America: https://birdsna.org/Species-Account/bna/species/batgod DOI: 10.2173/bna.581
+#Piersma, T., Lok, T., Chen, Y., Hassell, C. J., Yang, H.-Y., Boyle, A., Slaymaker, M., Chan, Y.-C., Melville, D. S., Zhang, Z.-W. and Ma, Z. (2016), Simultaneous declines in summer survival of three shorebird species signals a flyway at risk. J Appl Ecol, 53: 479ñ490. doi:10.1111/1365-2664.12582
+#Van Gils, J., Wiersma, P., Sharpe, C.J. & Boesman, P. (2017). Bar-tailed Godwit (''Limosa lapponica''). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from http://www.hbw.com/node/53890 on 26 March 2017).
+#Woodley, K. 2013. Bar-tailed godwit in Miskelly, C.M. (ed.) New Zealand Birds Online. www.nzbirdsonline.org.nz
+#Fitter, R.S.R. & Richardson, R.A. (1966). Pocket Guide to British Birds. London: Collins.
+#{{Ref-Collins5th93}}#{{Ref-Grantetal99}}#[http://www.arthurgrosset.com/europebirds/bar-tailedgodwit.html Arthur Grosset's Birds]
 {{ref}}
 ==External Links==
-{{GSearch|Limosa+lapponica}}
+{{GSearch|"Limosa lapponica" {{!}} "Bar-tailed Godwit"}}
+{{GS-checked}}
+<br />
+<br />
 [[Category:Birds]][[Category:Limosa]] [[Category:Bird Songs]]