The Bar-tailed Godwit is a species of wader well known for its long non-stop migration.
Description[]
Bar-tailed Godwits in winter have a grey-brown plumage, while in summer, it has a distinctive red plumage. They have long black legs and a long upturned bill. Bill colors in winter are pink-black, while the summer bill colors are completely black.
Behaviour[]
Feeding[]
The Bar-tailed Godwit forages by probing in mud of exposed flats or shallow water. Females may feed in deeper waters than males due to their longer bills. Their diet includes insects, crustaceans, mollusks. In summer in Alaska, it feeds mainly on aquatic insects, and also occasionally seeds and berries. On mudflats and shores at other seasons, it feeds on crustaceans, mollusks, insects, annelid worms.
Breeding[]
Breeding takes place every year in Scandinavia, northern Asia and Alaska. The nest is a shallow cup in moss and is lined with bits of grass or lichens. The territorial and courtship display of the male involves loud calls and aerial acrobatics, deep wingbeats alternating with glides, as he circles high above tundra. Nest site is usually on a raised hummock, surrounded by grass. Usually 4 eggs are laid. Incubation begins with the last egg laid. Both parents incubate and the eggs hatch after 3 weeks. 1 brood is raised per year.
Migration[]
Alaskan and Siberian Bar-tailed Godwits winter from southeast Asia south to Australia and New Zealand. Those from Alaska are known to make a remarkable flight over the ocean, covering more than 6,000 miles in nonstop migration that may take eight days of continuous flying. Stray birds in the lower 48 States may come from either Asia or Europe.
Distribution and Habitat[]
Bar-tailed Godwits breed on Arctic coasts and winter on coasts in temperate and tropical regions of the Old World, Australia and New Zealand. They inhabit mudflats, shores and tundra.