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Bar-tailed Godwit
(Limosa lapponica)
: "Bar-rumped Godwit"
 German name(s): "Pfuhlschnepfe"
Size: 37-39 cm; wing span 70-80 cm
Weight: 190-400 g (male), 260-630 g (female)
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Similar
species |
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Physical description |
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 Click here for a physical description
Bar-tailed Godwits are medium-sized waders.
When seen in Europe, Black-tailed Godwits are usually in
eclipse
plumage, which is
highly cryptic.
The head has a brownish cap; the rest of the head, neck and chest
is greyish-brown with some lighter streaking. The belly, vent and
undertail coverts are creamy. The back and wings are greyish-brown,
with light edge lining and darker centre stripes on the wing feathers.
The short tail has a bar pattern on the underside.
During the breeding season most of the front and the head is
chestnut-red.
The eyes have dark irises. Bar-tailed Godwits have a very long,
dark grey-tipped pinkish, minimally upcurved bill that is about
2-3 times as long as the size of the head. The long legs and the
feet are dark-grey.
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Twitcher's tip |
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Compared with Black-tailed
Godwits, they have more colour contrast in their non-breeding
plumage. During the
breeding season their belly is the colour of the front and head.
The correct identification of waders ("shorebirds"), e.g. of the
Calidris, Tringa, Actitis etc.
or of the
Charadrius, Pluvialis and related
genera in the field can be quite tricky. We have therefore made an attempt
to give some advice
HERE.
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Taxonomy, classification |
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See Bar-tailed
Godwit at Wikipedia  .
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Range, habitat, finding this species |
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Click here for information on habitat
and range
The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and
specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found,
based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to
ebird.org
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The global distribution of the Bar-tailed Godwit is available
HERE
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Bar-tailed Godwits are a highly migratory species.
There are three races, all of which breed in subarctic regions.
Nominate race "lapponica" breeds
from northern Scandinavia eastwards to the Taymyr Peninsula.
They migrate South to spend the winters along the West coasts
of Europe and Africa, from the British Isles and the Netherlands
southwards to South Africa, and also around the Persian Gulf.
Race "menzbieri"
breeds in north-eastern Asia, from the Taymyr
Peninsula eastwards to the Kolyma River delta. They spend the
northern winters in South-east Asia and western Australia.
The eastern-most race, "baueri", breeds in far
north-eastern Asia, to the East of the Kolyma River, and western
Alaska; they spend the northern winters in eastern Australia and
in New Zealand.
Bird trivia: The Bar-tailed Godwit is the bird with the
longest migration of all birds and the animal with the longest
non-stop journey without feeding.
In Europe, when not breeding in the far North of Scandinavia or
far north-western Russia, Bar-tailed Godwits, race
"lapponica",
are usually found overwintering along the Atlantic coastal fringe
from the German Wattensee southward to about Gibraltar. Apart from
one area in Catalunya, Spain, they are not found along the
Mediterranean coastline.
Bar-tailed Godwits have a preference for sandbanks and also
intertidal wetlands, including mudflats.
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Sightings |
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Click here for sighting information
Race "lapponica"
G. Pinelas reports finding Bar-tailed Godwits, nominate race
"lapponica",
at Lagoa de Albufeira, near Sesimbra, Setubal, Portugal, in September 2017.
J. Pires reports finding Bar-tailed Godwits,
nominate race
"lapponica",
in the Tejo estuary, Portugal, occasionally outside the breeding season.
Another was found at Rio Trancao, Lisbon, Portugal, in February 2019.
M. Eaton found a Bar-tailed Godwit, nominate race
"lapponica",
near Wadebridge, Cornwall, England, in September 2019.
Race "baueri"
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Photos |
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Race "lapponica"
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ADULT |
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BREEDING |
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MALE |
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Lateral view of a male Bar-tailed Godwit in worn breeding
plumage;
note the rather short slightly upcurved bill
(photo courtesy of G. Pinelas)
[Lagoa de Albufeira, near Sesimbra, Setubal, Portugal, September 2017]
Lateral view of a male Bar-tailed Godwit in worn breeding
plumage
(photo courtesy of G. Pinelas)
[Lagoa de Albufeira, near Sesimbra, Setubal, Portugal, September 2017]
Lateral view of a male Bar-tailed Godwit in worn breeding
plumage
lifting its wings, therby giving a clear view of its
name-giving barred uppertail
(photo courtesy of G. Pinelas)
[Lagoa de Albufeira, near Sesimbra, Setubal, Portugal, September 2017]
Lateral view of a male Bar-tailed Godwit in breeding
plumage
going to join its snoozing buddy
(photo courtesy of G. Pinelas)
[Lagoa de Albufeira, near Sesimbra, Setubal, Portugal, September 2017]
Lateral view of two snoozing female Bar-tailed Godwits in worn
breeding plumage
(photo courtesy of G. Pinelas)
[Lagoa de Albufeira, near Sesimbra, Setubal, Portugal, September 2017]
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NON-BREEDING |
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FEMALE |
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Near-dorsal view of a female Bar-tailed Godwit in non-breeding
plumage
feeding near the water's edge; note the long bill
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Rio Trancao, Lisbon, Portugal, February 2019]
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IMMATURE/JUVENILE |
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Lateral view of a juvenile Bar-tailed Godwit
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Near Wadebridge, Cornwall, England, September 2019]
Near-dorsal view of a juvenile Bar-tailed Godwit; note the
pale notches on the wing feathers
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Vila Real de Santo Antonio, Algarve, Portugal, September 2020]
Dorsal view of a juvenile Bar-tailed Godwit; note the
pale notches on the wing feathers
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Vila Real de Santo Antonio, Algarve, Portugal, September 2020]
Race "baueri"
Photos of race
"baueri" were obtained by us in Australia.
These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our
contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species
please refer to a field guide.
Breeding
Nest
Eggs
Behaviour
Food
Call/s
