Limosa lapponica
The adult has blue-grey legs and a very long dark bill with a slight upward curve and pink at the tip. The neck, breast and belly are unbroken brick red in breeding plumage, off white in winter. The back is mottled grey.
Not Threatened.
The adult has blue-grey legs and a very long dark bill with a slight upward curve and pink at the tip. The neck, breast and belly are unbroken brick red in breeding plumage, off white in winter. The back is mottled grey.
The Bar-tailed Godwit is a relatively short-legged species of godwit. The bill-to-tail length is 37–41 cm, with a wingspan of 70–80 cm. Males average smaller than females but with much overlap; males weigh 190–400 g, while females weigh 260–630 g
Taxonomy:
- Scolopax lapponica Linnaeus, 1758, Lappland. Race menzbieri sometimes included within race baueri. Three subspecies recognized. (source: Handbook of the Birds of World)
Subspecies and Distribution:
- * lapponica (Linnaeus, 1758) - Lappland W through Kola and Kanin Peninsulas to Taymyr; winters from North Sea, W Iberia and NW Africa S to W South Africa, and E to Persian Gulf and W India. * menzbieri Portenko, 1936 - N Siberia, between R Khatanga and Kolyma Delta; winters from SE Asia to NW Australia, and possibly E Australia. * baueri Naumann, 1836 - NE Siberia, E of R Kolyma, to W Alaska; winters from China to New Zealand and some Pacific Is.
On wintering grounds, swamps, floods and irrigated paddy fields can attract flocks of birds. In India, inland pools, lakes and marshes are used, and occasionally brackish lakes, tidal creeks and estuaries.
It forages by probing in mudflats or marshes. In short vegetation, it may pick up insects by sight. Mainly, it eats insects and crustaceans, but also parts of aquatic plants.
The Bar-tailed Godwit is a non-breeding migrant in Australia. Breeding take place each year in Scandinavia, northern Asia and Alaska. The nest is a shallow cup in moss, and is either lined with vegetation or is unlined. Both sexes share incubation of the eggs and care for the young.