Convervation status: Red 1 video Latin nameLimosa limosa FamilySandpipers and allies (Scolopacidae) OverviewBlack-tailed godwits are large wading birds. 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-taileds have longer legs, and bar-taileds don’t have striped wings. As the names suggest, the tail patterns are different, too. Where to see themEstuaries and coastal lagoons are the best places to look for black-tailed godwits at almost any time of year, though they also visit wetland sites inland. We also have a small, vulnerable breeding population, on a select few wet meadows and marshes; they migrate to west Africa for winter. Birds from Iceland spend winter in the UK. When to see themIt’s easiest to see black-tailed godwits from late summer through winter. What they eatInsects, worms and snails, but also some plants, beetles, grasshoppers and other small insects during the breeding season. Estimated numbers| Europe | UK breeding* | UK wintering* | UK passage* |
|---|
| 99-140,000 pairs | 44-52 pairs | 15,860 birds | 12,400 birds |
* UK breeding is the number of pairs breeding annually. UK wintering is the number of individuals present from October to March. UK passage is the number of individuals passing through on migration in spring and/or autumn. Distribution
- In the UK
- Breeds mainly in East Anglia and also Shetland; winters mainly along south and east coasts of England
- In Europe
- West and central Europe, and Iceland
- Worldwide
- Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australasia
Please note that the map is only intended as a guide. It shows general distribution rather than detailed, localised populations.
Sound: Patrik Åberg, Xeno-canto | Print page  Black-tailed godwit winter plumage  Black-tailed godwit in flight  Black-tailed godwit summer plumage Similar birdsHelp the Black-tailed godwitJoin the RSPB and support our work. Join today |