# Bar-tailed Godwit (*Limosa lapponica*) The Bar-tailed Godwit is a long-legged bird known for its amazing long migrations. It has a beautiful, long bill and can be seen in coastal areas looking for food. - **Category:** [Birds](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/bird) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Snaps:** 1 - **Habitat:** Coastal areas ![Bar-tailed Godwit](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Bar-tailed_Godwit.jpg&width=800) Photo: Andreas Trepte, CC BY-SA 2.5 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bar-tailed_Godwit.jpg) ## Appearance The Bar-tailed Godwit has a long, slightly upturned bill and long legs, perfect for wading. In breeding season, males show rich rufous-chestnut undersides, while females are duller. Its subtly barred tail is visible in flight. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Animalia - **Phylum:** Chordata - **Class:** Aves - **Order:** Charadriiformes - **Family:** Scolopacidae - **Genus:** Limosa ## Interesting facts - Newly hatched Bar-tailed Godwit chicks can leave the nest and find food for themselves almost immediately. - Their scientific name, Limosa lapponica, fittingly means "muddy from Lapland," describing their favorite wet habitats. - These amazing birds can sense and respond to changes in barometric pressure, helping them avoid storms during migration. - They double their body weight, mostly fat, before their astonishing non-stop migratory flights! ## Special abilities - **Endurance Flight Master:** Bar-tailed Godwit can fly over 11,000 km non-stop because they efficiently store massive amounts of fat, helping them cross vast oceans. - **Organ Shrinker:** This bird can temporarily shrink its internal organs (like intestines) before migration, helping them lighten their load for epic journeys. - **Precision Prober:** Bar-tailed Godwits have a long, flexible bill with sensitive tips that helps them locate and extract hidden prey from deep within the mud. - **Global Navigator:** Bar-tailed Godwits possess an innate sense of direction, helping them navigate across hemispheres with incredible accuracy. ## Measurements & details - **Length:** 37-41 cm - **Wingspan:** 70-82 cm - **Weight:** 0.19-0.63 kg - **Lifespan:** 10-29 years - **Speed:** 55 km/h - **Clutch Size:** 3-5 - **Incubation:** 21-23 days - **Migration Distance:** 11000 km ## Diet & Feeding They slurp up yummy worms and shellfish hidden in the mud with their long bills. - **Primary Foods:** marine worms, bivalves (clams), crustaceans (shrimp), insect larvae - **Foraging Method:** Foraging ## Ecological connections - **Eaten by:** [Peregrine Falcon](https://www.snappit.app/explore/peregrine-falcon) (*Falco peregrinus*) — A formidable predator, sometimes preying on adult godwits. - **Eaten by:** [Red Fox](https://www.snappit.app/explore/red-fox) (*Vulpes vulpes*) — May prey on eggs and young chicks in their Arctic breeding grounds. - **Depends on:** Lugworm (*Arenicola marina*) — A primary food source, found burrowed in the mud of intertidal zones. - **Depends on:** Baltic Tellin (*Macoma balthica*) — Common bivalve found in muddy sands, a favorite food for probing bills. ## Traits - [Feathered](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/feathered): Feathered describes animals, primarily birds, possessing a covering of feathers. - [Social](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/social): Social animals live in organized groups, cooperating for survival benefits such as foraging, defense, and raising offspring. - [Coastal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/coastal): Coastal habitats are dynamic environments located along the interface between land and sea, influenced by tides, waves, and saltwater. - [Carnivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/carnivorous): This trait identifies organisms whose diet consists entirely or primarily of animal tissue. - [Diurnal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/diurnal): Diurnal animals are primarily active during daylight hours, typically resting or sleeping at night. - [Keystone Species](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/keystone-species): Describes a species whose presence and role have a disproportionately large effect on its environment. - [Aquatic](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/aquatic): Aquatic habitats encompass environments where organisms live predominantly in water, including oceans, rivers, lakes, and wetlands. - [Migratory](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/migratory): Migratory animals undertake seasonal movements from one region to another, typically in response to changes in climate or food availability. ## Collections - [Birds](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/birds) ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low Always watch birds from a distance and do not disturb their nests. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Bar-tailed Godwit? Compare the silhouette, bill shape, tail length, wing bars and markings around the eyes. The same small brown bird at your feeder can look quite different in breeding plumage, winter plumage or its first year. Bird Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How long is Bar-tailed Godwit? 37-41 cm ### What is Bar-tailed Godwit's wingspan? 70-82 cm ### How much does Bar-tailed Godwit weigh? 0.19-0.63 kg ### How long does Bar-tailed Godwit live? 10-29 years ### How fast can Bar-tailed Godwit move? 55 km/h ### What does Bar-tailed Godwit eat? They slurp up yummy worms and shellfish hidden in the mud with their long bills. ### Where is Bar-tailed Godwit usually found? Coastal areas ## Where to spot - [Zoo de la Palmyre](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/zoo-de-la-palmyre) — Nouvelle-Aquitaine, FR · Zoo ## More Birds - [Black-crowned Night Heron](https://www.snappit.app/explore/black-crowned-night-heron) (*Nycticorax nycticorax*) - [Anna's Hummingbird](https://www.snappit.app/explore/annas-hummingbird) (*Calypte anna*) - [Great Egret](https://www.snappit.app/explore/great-egret) (*Ardea alba*) - [Blue Jay](https://www.snappit.app/explore/blue-jay) (*Cyanocitta cristata*) --- Source: [Bar-tailed Godwit: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/bar-tailed-godwit)