Limosa limosa
The Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa limosa) is an elegant, long-legged shorebird instantly recognizable by its striking breeding plumage and distinctive flight profile. Averaging 40-44 cm (16-17 in) in length with a wingspan of 70-82 cm (28-32 in) and weighing 280-500g (10-18 oz), it possesses an exceptionally long, slightly upturned bill, typically pink at the base and dark at the tip. During breeding season, adults boast a rich rufous-orange head, neck, and breast, fading to barred flanks and a...
Primarily found in freshwater wetlands, wet grasslands, and shallow coastal estuaries, favoring open, muddy areas for foraging and vegetated margins for nesting.
Feeds mainly on aquatic invertebrates, including insect larvae, worms, crustaceans, and mollusks, obtained by probing deeply into mud or soft ground; occasionally consumes small fish and plant matter.
Black-tailed Godwits are diurnal birds, spending most of their daylight hours foraging and roosting communally in shallow water or on open mudflats. Their primary foraging strategy involves methodical probing into soft substrates with their long, sensitive bills, often using a "sewing machine" mo...
The Black-tailed Godwit exhibits a broad but fragmented Palearctic breeding range, with three main subspecies occupying distinct areas. *Limosa limosa limosa* breeds across Western and Central Europe, extending eastward into Central Asia. *Limosa limosa islandica* breeds primarily in Iceland and ...
Near Threatened
- The Black-tailed Godwit holds the record for one of the longest non-stop migratory flights among shorebirds, though its close relative, the Bar-tailed Godwit, holds the overall record for non-stop flight. - Its scientific name, *Limosa limosa*, is a tautonym, indicating that the genus and speci...