Black-tailed Godwit

Limosa limosa

Other Pics: Black-tailed Godwits in Flight

Other Names

    Barge à queue noire   Uferschnepfe   Aguja Colinegra   Rödspov   Grutto   Pittima reale

World: Found across much of Northern Eurasia. Winters in the British Isles, Mediterranean, sub-saharan Africa, southern Asia, the Philippines and Australia.

Kenya: Uncommon winter visitor (occasional visitor June and July) on inland waters. Most numerous (and regular) at Lake Turkana where it may occur in groups of up to 100 birds.

Found on marshy lake edges and also wet grassland (including irrigated areas). Their diet primarily consists of invertebrates, mainly insects and insect larvae (particularly beetles). However they will also take other invertebrates such as molluscs and worms along with vertebrateprey such as fish and small frogs (also spawn and tadpoles). They supplement this diet with berries and seeds, particularly in their wintering areas where their diet may become principally vegetarian with rice forming a significant percentage of their daily intake. They feed by picking food from the surface of the mud or water as well as by probing with their long bills.