General

Bar-tailed Godwit: Large shorebird with long, upcurved bill, scaled, brown, black and gray mottled upperparts and plain, pale red-brown underparts. Tail is white with distinctive dark bars. Female is larger, has a longer bill, and duller plumage. Winter adult is gray overall and lacks red tones. Juvenile is intermediate between breeding and winter adult.

Range and Habitat

Bar-tailed Godwit: Two subspecies occur in North America: 1) Baueri breeds in Alaska and migrates along Pacific coast; 2) European lapponica is a rare migrant along Atlantic coast; breeds on lowland tundra, but sometimes in upland areas with trees. On passage and in winter usually found on coasts, particularly in estuaries and sheltered sandy shores.

Breeding and Nesting

Bar-tailed Godwit: Two to four brown-spotted, olive or pale brown eggs are laid in a shallow cup in ground moss, sometimes lined with vegetation. Incubation ranges from 20 to 21 days and is carried out by both parents.

Foraging and Feeding

Bar-tailed Godwit: Feeds on mollusks, worms, and aquatic insects; forages in shallows or over exposed flats, probing by jabbing long bill rapidly into the mud.

Vocalization

Bar-tailed Godwit: Calls include a rapid "tititi" and a sharp "kuwit" alarm.

Similar Species

Bar-tailed Godwit: Black-tailed Godwit lacks white underwing and barred rump, has longer bill and white wing-bar. Marbled Godwit is larger and lacks red-brown tones.