# 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. - **Category:** [Birds](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/bird) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Habitat:** Wetlands ![Black-tailed Godwit](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/.00_2789_Uferschnepfe_%28Limosa_limosa%29.jpg&width=800) Photo: W. Bulach, CC BY-SA 4.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:.00_2789_Uferschnepfe_%28Limosa_limosa%29.jpg) ## 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. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Animalia - **Phylum:** Chordata - **Class:** Aves - **Order:** Charadriiformes - **Family:** Scolopacidae - **Genus:** Limosa ## 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 - **Mud Seeker:** Black-tailed Godwit can locate hidden worms and insects deep in mud because their long bill has sensitive nerve endings. - **Endurance Flier:** Black-tailed Godwit has incredible stamina, allowing them to fly thousands of kilometers non-stop during epic migrations. - **Wading Master:** 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 - **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](https://www.snappit.app/explore/peregrine-falcon) (*Falco peregrinus*) — A swift aerial predator of adult godwits. - **Eaten by:** [Red Fox](https://www.snappit.app/explore/red-fox) (*Vulpes vulpes*) — Preys on eggs, chicks, and sometimes adult godwits. - **Eats:** [European Green Crab](https://www.snappit.app/explore/european-green-crab) (*Carcinus maenas*) — Searches for small crabs and other crustaceans in estuaries. ## 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. - [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors. - [Insectivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/insectivorous): This trait identifies organisms whose diet primarily consists of insects and other small invertebrates. - [Wetland](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/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. - [Diurnal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/diurnal): Diurnal animals are primarily active during daylight hours, typically resting or sleeping at night. - [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 never try to catch them. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Black-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 Black-tailed Godwit? 37-42 cm ### What is Black-tailed Godwit's wingspan? 70-82 cm ### How much does Black-tailed Godwit weigh? 0.19-0.5 kg ### How long does Black-tailed Godwit live? 10-20 years ### How fast can Black-tailed Godwit move? 80 km/h ### What does Black-tailed Godwit eat? Black-tailed Godwits use their long bills to find tasty invertebrates hiding in the mud. ### Where is Black-tailed Godwit usually found? Wetlands ## Where to spot - [Naturpark Dümmer](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/dummer-nature-park) — Niedersachsen; Nordrhein-Westfalen, DE · Park - [Landes de Gascogne Regional Nature Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/landes-de-gascogne-regional-nature-park) — Nouvelle-Aquitaine, FR · Park ## 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: [Black-tailed Godwit: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/black-tailed-godwit)