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8

Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa limosa) Size: 36-44 cm; wing span 70-82 cm Weight: 280 g (male), 340 g (female) averages; range: 150-500 g

Oman: Family Group 8 Family Group 8 Table Ruddy Turnstone Green Sandpiper Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Terek Sandpiper Common Sandpiper Common Greenshank Marsh Sandpiper Bar-tailed Godwit Black-tailed Godwit Whimbrel Eurasian Curlew Temminck's Stint Sanderling Thumbnails page Classification table Index of bird names Birds home page

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

Physical description Click here for a physical description Black-tailed Godwits are medium-sized waders. When seen in Arabia, Black-tailed Godwits are usually in eclipse plumage, which is highly cryptic. Except for short light-grey eyebrows and a small throat patch, the rest of the head, neck and chest is plain grey with a brownish tinge. The belly, vent and undertail coverts are light-grey to off-white. The back and wings are dark brownish-grey, with somewhat lighter brownish-grey edge lining. The uppertail is black. In flight they show nearly white underwings with a prominent black fringe. On the upperwing they have conspicuous, broad wing bars. During the breeding season most of the head, neck and chest is russet. The eyes have dark irises. Black-tailed Godwits have a long, dark grey-tipped pinkish, straight bill that is about twice as long as the size of the head. The long legs and the feet are dark-grey. Twitcher's tip Compared with Bar-tailed Godwits, they have less colour contrast in their non-breeding plumage. During the breeding season their belly is much lighter than the front and the head.

Taxonomy, classification See Black-tailed Godwit at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat 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 . The global distribution of the Black-tailed Godwit is available HERE . There are 3 races of Black-tailed Godwits, which are a strongly migratory species. Race "islandica" breeds in Iceland, the Faeroe Islands, Shetland and the Lofoten Islands. Race "limosa", which is also called the "European Black-tailed Godwit", breeds in parts of southern Scandinavia, most of central, eastern and south-eastern Europe and eastward into central Asia, up to the Yenisei River. Race "melanuroides", the "Asian Black-tailed Godwit", breeds in Mongolia, northern China, Siberia and far-eastern Russia. They spend the northern winters in various parts of the world. Much of the European population will stay in western Ireland, western Iberia, around the Mediterranean or in sub-Saharan Africa or the East African highlands. Others will winter on the South coast of the Caspian Sea, the coastal fringe of Arabia, or parts of northern India. The East Asian population overwinters in parts of south-eastern Asia or Australia. There are only small areas where they stay permanently, mostly in southern England. In Arabia are seen only during their passage between Africa and Asia. They usually stay on the coastal fringe and are uncommon in Oman. When not breeding, Black-tailed Godwits have a preference for sandbanks and also intertidal flats including mudflats, but they may also be found around fresh water.

Sightings Click here for sighting information We have not seen a Black-tailed Godwit in Oman yet, but nominate race "limosa" was found in Europe and race "melanuroides" in Australia.

Photos

No photos of Black-tailed Godwits from Oman available yet, but nominate race "limosa" was photographed in Europe and race "melanuroides" in Australia.

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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Disclaimer: Comments are always welcome. We give no guarantee that the information presented on these pages is always correct or up-to-date. External links are marked as such and we take no responsibility for the contents of external pages. All images on this site are protected by copyright & used by permission of the respective owners. If you wish to reproduce them or any of the material presented on this web site, please contact us: We hereby acknowledge the original custodians of the land which is described on these pages, including the Gomeroi/Gamilaraay people of the North-west Slopes and Plains of NSW, and the traditional owners of other lands and nations within this country. We acknowledge elders past, present and emerging. Sovereignty was never ceded.          Last updated: Sun, 14 April 2019, 22:11 +00:00