Hudsonian Godwit

Hudsonian Godwit, breeding male; Churchill, Manitoba; June

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Hudsonian Godwit, breeding female; Churchill, Manitoba; June

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1. Description
2. Sound
3. Conservation Status
4. Other Names
5. Cool Facts
6. Full detailed species account

A large shorebird with a long, upturned bill, the Hudsonian Godwit breeds in the Arctic and winters in southern South America. Its remote breeding and wintering grounds have kept it one of the least well known of American shorebirds.

Description

Large shorebird. Long, slightly upturned bill with dark tip and reddish base. Long legs. Black wing linings. White stripe in wings. White rump. Tail black with white base. Breeding plumage with dark reddish chest and black barring on sides. Nonbreeding plumage gray all over.

• Size: 36-42 cm (14-17 in)
• Weight: 196-358 g (6.92-12.64 ounces)

Sex Differences

Sexes similar, but male smaller and with darker underparts when in breeding plumage.

Sound

Call a rising "toe, wit."

Conservation Status

Population size rather limited. Thought to have declined in early 20th century, but data are poor.

Other Names

Barge Hudsonienne, La barge de la baie d?Hudson (French)
Becasa de mar, Aguja de mar (Spanish)

Cool Facts

• After breeding, the Hudsonian Godwit undertakes a migration from the subarctic to southern South America, in which it apparently makes nonstop flights of several thousand miles.

• Newly hatched Husonian Godwit chicks can swim across pools and slow-flowing streams. Adults swim well.

Sources used to construct this page:

Elphick, C. S., and J. Klima. 2002. Hudsonian Godwit (Limosa haemastica). In The Birds of North America, No. 629 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.