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8

Black-tailed Godwit

(Limosa limosa)
German name(s): "Uferschnepfe"
Size: 36-44 cm; wing span 70-82 cm
Weight: 280 g (male), 340 g (female) averages; range: 150-500 g

Similar
species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description

Click here for a physical description

Taxonomy, classification

See Black-tailed Godwit at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species

Click here for information on habitat and range

Sightings

Click here for sighting information

Photos

Race "limosa"

This race is also called the "European Black-tailed Godwit".

ADULT

BREEDING

MALE

Frontal view of a male(?) Black-tailed Godwit in breeding plumage feeding in a mudflat (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Vila Franca de Xira, Tejo estuary, Portugal, July 2019]

Near-lateral view of a male(?) Black-tailed Godwit in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Tejo estuary, Portugal, March 2018]

Lateral view of a male(?) Black-tailed Godwit in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Rio Trancao, Lisbon, Portugal, March 2020]

Near-dorsal view of a male(?) Black-tailed Godwit in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Tejo estuary, Portugal, March 2018]

Near-dorsal view of a male(?) Black-tailed Godwit in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Rio Trancao, Lisbon, Portugal, March 2020]

Dorsal view of a male(?) Black-tailed Godwit in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Tejo estuary, Portugal, March 2018]

Lateral view of a male(?) Black-tailed Godwit in breeding plumage in flight, wings up (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Montijo, Tejo estuary, Portugal, March 2019]

FEMALE

Near-frontal view of a female(?) Black-tailed Godwit in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Rio Trancao, Lisbon, Portugal, March 2020]

Near-frontal view of a female(?) Black-tailed Godwit in breeding plumage lifting its wings (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Dafundo beach, Lisbon, Portugal, July 2019]

Near-lateral view of a female(?) Black-tailed Godwit in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Tejo estuary, Portugal, February 2018]

Near-dorsal view of a female(?) Black-tailed Godwit, probably still in transitional plumage (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[River Bug, near Brok, Masovia, Poland, May 2018]

Sex unknown

Lateral view of a Black-tailed Godwit in breeding plumage
feeding in shallow water (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Tejo estuary, Portugal, February 2023]

PAIR

Black-tailed Godwits in breeding plumage in a marsh; probably the bird on the right, with higher colour contrast and deeper rufous front, is a male; the bird on the left may be a female (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Biebrza NP, Poland, May 2017]

Lateral view of two Black-tailed Godwits (a pair?) in breeding plumage in flight (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Ribeira das Enguias, Tejo estuary, Portugal, June 2022]

Sex unknown

Lateral view of Black-tailed Godwits in various stages of plumage resting on a mudflat (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Clonakilty, County York, Ireland, August 2023]

Lateral view of Black-tailed Godwits in various stages of plumage resting on a mudflat (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Clonakilty, County York, Ireland, August 2023]

Lateral view of a Black-tailed Godwit in breeding plumage spreading its wings
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Ribeira das Enguias, Tejo estuary, Portugal, June 2022]

Black-tailed Godwits in breeding plumage foraging in shallow water (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Ribeira das Enguias, Tejo estuary, Portugal, June 2022]

Lateral view of Black-tailed Godwits in various stages of moult, from eclipse to full breeding plumage
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Moita, Tejo estuary, Portugal, June 2019]

NON-BREEDING

Sex unknown

Dorsal view of a Black-tailed Godwit in transitional plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Sapal Castro Marim, Vila Real Santo Antonio, Algarve, Portugal, October 2022]

Near-lateral/lateral view of Black-tailed Godwits in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Samouco, Tejo estuary, Portugal, August 2019]

Lateral view of a Black-tailed Godwit in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Dafundo beach, Lisbon, Portugal, July 2019]

Lateral view of a Black-tailed Godwit in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Samouco, Tejo estuary, Portugal, September 2019]

Lateral view of a Black-tailed Godwit in non-breeding plumage; when digging deep in mud, the bill can look entirely black (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Sapal de Alhos Vedros, Moita, Setubal, Portugal, October 2022]

Lateral view of a Black-tailed Godwit in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[November 2017]

Lateral view of two Black-tailed Godwits in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Salinas do Forte do Rato, Tavira, Algarve, September 2020]

Lateral view of Black-tailed Godwits in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Sado estuary, Setubal, Portugal, August 2022]

Spectacular overview of a large flock of Black-tailed Godwits in non-breeding plumage taking off (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Vila Franca de Xira, Tejo estuary, Portugal, November 2022]

Near-dorsal view of a Black-tailed Godwit in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Tejo estuary, Portugal, December 2017]

Near-dorsal view of a Black-tailed Godwit in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[November 2017]

Dorsal view of a Black-tailed Godwit in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Sapal de Alhos Vedros, Moita, Setubal, Portugal, October 2022]

Lateral view of a Black-tailed Godwit in non-breeding plumage in flight - note the characteristic white wing bar and the white square at the base of the tail (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Sapal Castro Marim, Vila Real Santo Antonio, Algarve, Portugal, October 2022]

Lateral view of a Black-tailed Godwit in non-breeding plumage in flight - note the characteristic white wing bar (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Sapal Castro Marim, Vila Real Santo Antonio, Algarve, Portugal, October 2022]

Dorsal view of a Black-tailed Godwit in non-breeding plumage on the point of landing - note the characteristic white wing bar and the white square at the base of the tail (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Sapal de Alhos Vedros, Moita, Setubal, Portugal, October 2022]

Dorsal view of a Black-tailed Godwit in non-breeding plumage in flight (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Vila Franca de Xira, Tejo estuary, Portugal, November 2019]

Race "islandica"

This race is also called the "Icelandic Black-tailed Godwit".

ADULT

BREEDING

MALE

Frontal view of a male Black-tailed Godwit in breeding plumage; the deep-rufous colouring going far down the belly and the rather short bill suggest that this bird is race "islandica" (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Vila Franca de Xira, Tejo estuary, Portugal, July 2019]

Lateral view of a male Black-tailed Godwit in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Salinas do Brito, Tejo estuary, Portugal, August 2022]

Lateral view of a male(?) Black-tailed Godwit in breeding plumage, seen together with a Black-winged Stilt
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Vila Franca de Xira, Tejo estuary, Portugal, July 2019]

Race "melanuroides"

Photos of Black-tailed Godwits, race "melanuroides", were taken in Australia.

Behaviour

Outside the breeding season Black-tailed Godwits can appear in large numbers (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Montijo, Tejo estuary, Portugal, February 2018]

Outside the breeding season Black-tailed Godwits can appear in large numbers (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Montijo, Tejo estuary, Portugal, February 2019]

Food, Diet

Lateral view of a Black-tailed Godwits in non-breeding plumage with its prey (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Montijo, Tejo estuary, Portugal, February 2019]

Lateral view of a Black-tailed Godwit in non-breeding plumage gobbling up its prey (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Sapal Castro Marim, Vila Real Santo Antonio, Algarve, Portugal, October 2022]

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

bltgodw_dw_20190414.m4a limosa
(Poland)
Contact calls(?) © DW
bltgodw_jp_20200117.m4a limosa
(Portugal)
? (large flock) © JP

More Black-tailed Godwit sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

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.

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