Limosa fedoa
The Marbled Godwit (Limosa fedoa) is an impressive and stately shorebird, renowned as the largest in North America. Adults typically measure 40-50 cm (16-20 in) in length with a wingspan of 70-82 cm (28-32 in) and weigh between 250-520 g (8.8-18.3 oz). Its plumage is a warm, buffy-cinnamon color, heavily streaked and barred with dark brown, especially on the back and flanks, giving it a 'marbled' appearance. The most distinctive field mark is its exceptionally long, slightly upturned, pinkish...
Marbled Godwits primarily inhabit short-grass prairies and associated wetlands during the breeding season, shifting to coastal estuaries, mudflats, and salt marshes for migration and wintering. They are typically found at low elevations, from sea level up to moderate prairie altitudes.
Their diet primarily consists of marine and aquatic invertebrates, including crabs, marine worms, mollusks, and insect larvae. They forage by deeply probing soft mud and sand with their long, sensitive bills.
Marbled Godwits are diurnal, actively foraging during the day and often roosting communally in shallow water or on exposed sandbars and mudflats during high tide or at night. They employ a distinctive foraging technique, probing deeply into soft substrates with their long bills, often using a rap...
The Marbled Godwit's breeding range is concentrated in the interior grasslands of North America, primarily across the Canadian Prairies (Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba) and the northern Great Plains of the United States (North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, and western Minnesota). Following bree...
Near Threatened
- The Marbled Godwit has the longest bill relative to its body size of any shorebird in North America. - Its distinctive upturned bill is a unique adaptation for probing deeply into various substrates. - They can probe up to 18-20 cm (7-8 inches) into mud and sand to find food. - This species was...