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: