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Marbled Godwit

Limosa fedoaOrder: CHARADRIIFORMES Family: Sandpipers (Scolopacidae)
Codes: Common Name: MAGO Scientific Name: LIMFED ITIS Taxonomic No.: 176686
Least Concern
 
Marbled Godwit
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Overview

Marbled Godwit: Large sandpiper with black-marked, dark brown upperparts, lightly barred, chestnut-brown underparts. Long pink bill has black tip, is slightly upcurved. Pale brown underwings visible in flight. Feeds on crustaceans, mollusks, worms, insects, seeds, berries. Swift and direct flight.

Range and Habitat

Marbled Godwit: Breeds on the central plains from Saskatchewan to Minnesota. Spends winters on the coast from California and Virginia southward and along the Gulf coast. During breeding season, found on grassy plains and during migration, visits salt marshes, tidal creeks, mudflats, and sea beaches.

Topo Map: Sandpiper-like Body


Listen to Call

Voice Text

"kerreck", "god-wit"

Interesting Facts

 Nests of the Marbled Godwit are not easily found, as these birds do not readily flush off of their eggs. Incubating adults can sometimes be picked up from the nest.

 This species was long regarded as showing no noticeable geographic variation until measurements of birds breeding in Alaska showed these populations to have shorter wings and legs than Great Plains godwits.

 It often inserts its entire bill into the mud, and its head is totally submerged at times.

 A group of godwits are collectively known as an "omniscience", "pantheon", and "prayer" of godwits.


Bird Term Glossary



Author

Gary Owen Dick

Artist

Imran Kahn

Splitbar
Range Map for Marbled Godwit

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Family Sandpiper (Scolopacidae)_blue
Species Limosa fedoa
Length18 - 19 Inches
Wingspan32 Inches

Marbled Godwit

Marbled Godwit: Large sandpiper with black-marked, dark brown upperparts, lightly barred, chestnut-brown underparts. Long pink bill has black tip, is slightly upcurved. Pale brown underwings visible in flight. Feeds on crustaceans, mollusks, worms, insects, seeds, berries. Swift and direct flight.

● Song: "kerreck", "god-wit"

● Foraging & Feeding: Marbled Godwit: Eats worms, mollusks, crustaceans, and insects. Forages by probing on mudflats and in shallow water; also chases insects in shoreline vegetation.

● Breeding & nesting: Marbled Godwit: Three to five green to olive eggs lightly marked with brown are laid in a slight ground depression lined with grass. Incubation ranges from 21 to 23 days and is carried out by both parents.

● Similar species: Marbled Godwit: Long-billed Curlew has a thinner, longer, decurved bill. Hudsonian Godwit and the accidental Black-tailed Godwit have white wing stripes and white tails with black terminal bands.

Flight Pattern

Strong direct flight.
Marbled-Godwit Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Marbled Godwit: Breeds on the central plains from Saskatchewan to Minnesota. Spends winters on the coast from California and Virginia southward and along the Gulf coast. During breeding season, found on grassy plains and during migration, visits salt marshes, tidal creeks, mudflats, and sea beaches.
BreedingMonogamous, Loose colonies
PopulationCommon to fairly common
MigrationMigratory
Weight11.3 Ounces
Sandpiper-like BodyX
UnderpartsX
Belly, undertail coverts, chest, flanks, and foreneck.
UpperpartsX
Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.
4 and 6 letter alpha codesX

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

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ITIS CodesX

The Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) was established in the mid-1990�s as a cooperative project among several federal agencies to improve and expand upon taxonomic data (known as the NODC Taxonomic Code) maintained by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

To find the ITIS page for a bird species go to the ITIS web site advanced search and report page at http://www.itis.gov/advanced_search.html. You can enter the TSN or the common name of the bird. It will return the ITIS page for that bird. Another way to obtain the ITIS page is to use the Google search engine. Enter the string ITIS followed by the taxonomic ID, for example "ITIS 178041" will return the page for the Allen's Hummingbird.

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Parts of a Standing birdX
Head Feathers and MarkingsX
Parts of a Flying birdX