Black-tailed Godwit

Limosa limosa

The Black-tailed Godwit is a beautiful bird with long legs and a long beak. It loves to wade in shallow waters and search for tasty bugs and worms to eat.

Habitat: Wetlands

Appearance

The Black-tailed Godwit is an elegant wading bird with very long legs and a straight bill that is orange at the base and black at the tip. In summer, its head, neck, and chest turn a rich rufous-orange. It has a striking white wing-bar and a black tail with a white base, visible in flight.

KingdomAnimaliaPhylumChordataClassAvesOrderCharadriiformesFamilyScolopacidaeGenusLimosa

Black-tailed Godwit

Interesting facts

A Black-tailed Godwit's name might come from an old English word meaning "good creature"!

Female godwits are often a little bigger than males, even though they look similar!

Godwit chicks can walk and find their own food just a few hours after hatching!

They stand tall on long legs, sometimes sleeping while balanced on just one leg!

Special abilities

Black-tailed Godwit can locate hidden worms and insects deep in mud because their long bill has sensitive nerve endings.

Black-tailed Godwit has incredible stamina, allowing them to fly thousands of kilometers non-stop during epic migrations.

Black-tailed Godwit can wade into surprisingly deep water because of their extra-long legs, reaching food others cannot.

Measurements & details

Length: 37-42 cm
Wingspan: 70-82 cm
Weight: 0.19-0.5 kg
Lifespan: 10-20 years
Top Speed: 80 km/h
Clutch Size: 3-5
Incubation: 22-24 days
Migration Distance: 11000 km

Diet & Feeding

Black-tailed Godwits use their long bills to find tasty invertebrates hiding in the mud.

Primary Foods

earthworms
insect larvae
crustaceans
molluscs
seeds

Foraging Method

Foraging

Ecological connections

eats

Common Earthworm

Lumbricus terrestris

A key food source found by probing in wet soil.

eaten by

Peregrine Falcon

Falco peregrinus

A swift aerial predator of adult godwits.

eaten by

Red Fox

Vulpes vulpes

Preys on eggs, chicks, and sometimes adult godwits.

eats

European Green Crab

Carcinus maenas

Searches for small crabs and other crustaceans in estuaries.

Traits

Feathered

Feathered describes animals, primarily birds, possessing a covering of feathers.

Social

Social animals live in organized groups, cooperating for survival benefits such as foraging, defense, and raising offspring.

Colorful

Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors.

Insectivorous

This trait identifies organisms whose diet primarily consists of insects and other small invertebrates.

Wetland

This habitat trait identifies species found in wetlands, which are areas of land saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, including marshes, swamps, and bogs.