Sandpipers · Shorebirds
Black-tailed Godwit
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Limosa limosa
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Voice
Call
Sonothèque ADVL
Alarm
Sudipto Roy
Song
Jochem verweij
How to recognize it
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Large, slim wader with long legs and a very long straight bill
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Breeding plumage: orange-rufous head, neck and breast; winter: plain grey-brown
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In flight, bold white wingbar and white rump
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Call: strident repeated ‘weeka weeka weeka’
About the species
The black-tailed godwit has a lean, long-legged look with a long bill and an elegant upright stance. In flight, the pale wing stripe and white rump are the easiest things to catch.
In the breeding season it gets noisy, with a harsh, nasal voice and showy display flights. On the ground it stays alert, and when disturbed it darts about, runs off, and takes to the air again.
It lives in wet meadows, bogs, lake edges, and other damp places with soft ground and tall grass. It feeds in shallow water and on land, taking aquatic invertebrates, and on migration and in winter it also eats berries, seeds, and rice; most populations move south for the cold season.
You might also see
Sources
- eBird — Limosa limosa Sightings map and full description on eBird
- Wikipedia — Black-tailed godwit Encyclopedia article