Name
Limosa
Black-tailed godwit
Framing
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Aves
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Scolopacidae
Genus: Limosa
Habitat
Marshes and shallow lagoons, wet meadows for nesting. During migration and wintering it uses a greater diversity of habitats, such as marshes, inland wetlands, rice fields, salt marshes and estuaries.
Feeding
Predators of small benthic invertebrates. Their long legs, neck and beak allow them to feed on bottom-dwelling invertebrates that they can wade through.
Distribution
Genus (Limosa) with species on all continents, although the two Spanish species (black-tailed godwit and black-tailed godwit) are missing from the American continent. They are two long-distance migrants that nest in northern Europe and Asia and spend the winter in the Mediterranean area, Africa and Oceania.
Conservation status
The IUCN Red List lists the Black-tailed Godwit as Near Threatened (NT) worldwide, although in Spain it is declared non-threatened and in Andalusia the data to assess its conservation status is considered insufficient (DD). It is included in the Red Book of Spanish birds in the "vulnerable" category and appears in the List of Wild Species under Special Protection Regime.
Additional information
Free. Gregarious outside the nesting season. Large waders (more than 40 cm from tail to tip of bill), very long legs, bill and neck, with the bill slightly curved upwards. General colouring greyish in winter, although in spring they acquire a striking reddish-orange hue on the belly, breast and head. The presence or absence of white wing bands helps to distinguish the Iberian species in flight.
Additional information
Bibliography
- Schekkerman, H. & Beintema, A.J. (2007). Abundance of Invertebrates and Foraging Success ofBlack-Tailed Godwit Limosa limosa Chicks in Relation to Agricultural Grassland Management. Ardea, 95(1), 39-54.
- Schroeder, J., Lourenço, P.M., van der Velde, M., Hooijmeijer, J.C.W., Both, C. & Piersma, T. (2008). Sexual Dimorphism in Plumage and Size in Black-Tailed Godwits Limosa Limosa Limosa. Ardea, 96(1), 25-37.
- Höglund, J., Johansson, T., Beintema, A. et al. (2009). Phylogeography of the Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa: substructuring revealed by mtDNA control region sequences. J Ornithol 150, 45–53 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-008-0316-8
- Kruk, M., Noordervliet, M.A.W. & ter Keurs, W.J. (1997). Survival of black-tailed godwit chicks Limosa limosa in intensively exploited grassland areas in The Netherlands. Biological Conservation, 80 (2), 127-133. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0006-3207(96)00131-0.