Black-tailed Godwit
Black-tailed Godwit
NL: Grutto
D: Uferschnepfe
F: Barque à queue noire
Latin name: Limosa limosa (Linnaeus, 1758)
Birdgroup: Sandpipers
These large wading birds are a Schedule 1 species. In summer, they have bright orangey-brown chests and bellies, but in winter they’re more greyish-brown.
Their most distinctive features are their long beaks and legs, and the black and white stripes on their wings. Female black-tailed godwits are bigger and heavier than the males, with a noticeably longer beak (which helps the sexes to avoid competing for food with each other).
They’re very similar to bar-tailed godwits, which breed in the Arctic. Black-tailed godwits have longer legs, and bar-tailed godwits don’t have striped wings. As the names suggest, the tail patterns are different, too.
What they eat:
Insects, worms and snails, but also some plants, beetles, grasshoppers and other small insects during the breeding season.
Measurements:
Length: 40-44 cm
Wingspan: 70-82 cm
Weight: 280-340g
Zang/roep:
