- Limosa limosa
Identification
36–44 cm (14-17¼ in)
Straight, flesh-coloured bill with dark tip
Greyish legs
Summer Adult
Cinnamon-pink head, neck and breast. Brown, streaked black, upperparts. White wing-bar and dark wing tips. The white tail has a black bar at the tip. Belly white, marked with black.
Winter Adult
The pink parts become greyish, upperparts greyer and the belly loses the streaks.
Similar Species
Bar-tailed Godwit whose bill has a slightly upcurved tip and narrowly barred tail. Hudsonian Godwit of the Americas is very similar. They can be distinguished in all plumages by their underwing patterns, white in Black-tailed and mostly dark in Hudsonian. However there are other differences. The bill is straight on Black-tailed, not noticeably upturned. Also Black-tailed has a broader, longer white wing stripe and broader white tail band (Hudsonian has less white in its tail).
Distribution
Breeds in northern Palearctic; winters to southern Africa, southern Asia and Australia.
Taxonomy
Subspecies
There are 3 subspecies1:
- L. l. islandica: Smaller, darker, with more extensive red on belly in Spring.
- breeds Iceland, Faroe Islands and Shetland Islands; winters to south-western Europe
- L. l. limosa: Larger, paler.
- breeds western Palearctic; winters to sub-Saharan Africa and India
- L. l. melanuroides: Similar to L. l. islandica, but decidedly smaller.
- breeds eastern Palearctic; winters to south-eastern Asia, Philippines and Australia
Habitat
Breeds on temperate freshwater wetlands with open grassland.
Winters on estuaries, mudflats and sandy shores. Also freshwater margins.
Behaviour
Flight
Fast and energetic. Outline cross-like
Diet
The diet includes insects, worms, snails, insects, crustaceans, and parts of aquatic plants.
Breeding
They nest on the ground, usually in short vegetation, laying 3-6 eggs.
Vocalisation
Flight Call: "wicka-wicka-wicka"
<flashmp3>Limosa limosa (song).mp3</flashmp3>
Listen in an external program
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2018. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2018. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- BirdLife International. 2017. Limosa limosa (amended version of 2016 assessment). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017: e.T22693150A111611637. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-1.RLTS.T22693150A111611637.en. Downloaded on 04 October 2018.
- Brazil, M. (2009) Birds of East Asia. Princeton Univ. Press.
- Chandler, R. (2009). Shorebirds of North America, Europe, and Asia: A photographic guide. Princeton.
- Engelmoer, M. & Roselaar, C. S. (1998): Geographical Variation in Waders. Kluwer Academic Publishers. Dordrecht.
- Höglund, J., Johansson, T., Beintema, A. & Schekkerman, H. (2009) Phylogeography of the Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa: substructuring revealed by mtDNA control region sequences. J. Orn. 150(1): 45-53.
- Rasmussen & Anderton. 2012. Birds of South Asia: The Ripley Guide. Lynx Edicions
- Roselaar, C.S.; Gerritsen, Gerrit J. (1991). "Recognition of Icelandic Black-tailed Godwit and its occurrence in the Netherlands" (PDF). Dutch Birding. 13 (4): 128–135.
- Van Gils, J., Wiersma, P., Christie, D.A., Garcia, E.F.J. & Boesman, P. (2018). Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa limosa). 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 https://www.hbw.com/node/53888 on 4 October 2018).
- Collins Pocket Guide to British Birds 1966
- Collins Field Guide 5th Edition
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Black-tailed Godwit. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 7 May 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Black-tailed_Godwit
External Links
