- 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.
Distribution
Breeds in northern Palearctic; winters to southern Africa, southern Asia and Australia.
Taxonomy
Subspecies
There are 3 subspecies1:
- L. l. islandica:
- breeds Iceland, Faroe Islands and Shetland Islands; winters to south-western Europe
- L. l. limosa:
- breeds western Palearctic; winters to sub-Saharan Africa and India
- L. l. melanuroides:
- 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. 2017. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2017, with updates to August 2017. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Animalpictures
- 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 25 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Black-tailed_Godwit
External Links
