Bar-tailed Godwit - BirdForum Opus

Limosa lapponica

Photo by Ragna

Alternate plumage; photo by postcardcv

Distribution

• Breeds in northern Palearctic: extreme northern Scandanavia (Norway, Finland, limited in Sweden), Arctic Russia (Kola Peninsula eastwards), and Alaska.
• Migration most active March-April (south to north), and August-October (south to north). 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. At least some individuals can always be seen in winter range.

Vagrancy

Vagrant north to Svalbard, Iceland and the Faroes, Cyprus and the eastern Mediterranean countries, Madeira and the Azores.

Habitat

Breeds on lowland tundra, sometimes in upland areas and among trees. On passage and in winter almost always on coasts, in particular on estuaries and sheltered sandy shores.

Bird Song

<flashmp3>Limosa lapponica (song).mp3</flashmp3>
Listen in an external program

External Links

Search for photos of Bar-tailed Godwit in the gallery

• View more images of this species on the ABID
• View more images of this species on Orientalbirdimages