Godwit - Black or Bar? (1 Viewer)

[_pauls]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/_pauls/6825689738/

Greatham Creek, Teesside.

My first thoughts were black - the tail looks like black but the bill seems to be slightly upcurved which should be bar?

 

[David Norgate]

Bar - notice the pale fringes to the feathers on the upperparts

 

[Cristian Mihai]

Bar - notice the pale fringes to the feathers on the upperparts

Agreed.

 

[Simon Wates]

Bar - notice the pale fringes to the feathers on the upperparts

Yes, but the mantle feathers are plain with pale indistinct edges - a Bar-t-Godwit should show dark centred feathers. Also the structure of the bird looks better for Black-t-Godwit. Compared to the Redshanks it seems to have longer legs than a Bar-t would and the deeper water is more in fitting with Black-t Godwit. I think the upturned bill is due to the angle that the photo was taken from.

 

[Parker]

I agree with Simon, it's a Black Tailed Godwit. Note also the very strong white wing bar you can see as a line below the coverts.

 

[Adam W]

Got a Black Tailed feel to it to me.

 

[Essex Tern]

Black-tailed for me too - plain back, and shape etc.

 

[_pauls]

Glad its not an open and shut case anyway. My feel from watching it in the field was black tailed. I'll dig out another photo.

 

[Simon Wates]

Glad its not an open and shut case anyway

For me it is

 

[RoyW]

I agree with Black-tailed. I expect that the apparently slightly upturned bill is an effect of the angle, and the pale edges to the wing coverts etc are perhaps retained juvenile feathers (I'm guessing there!)

the tail looks like black

You can't see the tail in this shot - do you have others that show the tail?

 

[RoyW]

For me it is

I'd have to admit that when I first opened the link the "upturned bill" immediately made me think of Bar-tailed.
...but after I looked at the rest of the bird it seemed obvious that it was a Black-tailed - so I agree with you, case closed!

 

[_pauls]

Sadly the light was very bright and I was looking straight into it. This is the only other half-decent shot.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/_pauls/6826196150/

 

[RoyW]

This is the only other half-decent shot.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/_pauls/6826196150/

I doubt that anyone will disagree that this photo shows a Black-tailed!

 

[SeeToh]

Black-tailed coz this species usually flocks with Common Redshanks. Bar-tailed usually found in the company of whimbrels. That's my observations of the two species in Singapore.

 

[JoanT]

For me it is

And me. Black Tailed has a longer upper leg than bar tailed

 

[nickderry]

another for black tailed