The bar-tailed godwit (Limosa lapponica) is a distinctive wading bird with conspicuous blue-grey legs and a long, dark, slightly upturned bill with a pink base (2) (3) (4). The breeding and non-breeding plumages of the male bar-tailed godwit are noticeably different, changing from dull grey-brown in the winter to rich chestnut across the back and breast during the summer breeding season (2) (5). The neck, breast and sides of the body are finely streaked with black and there is a dark brown and grey streaking on the back and wings (2). The breast returns to an off-white colour once the breeding season is over (3), while the rest of the plumage becomes duller, with pale fringes to the back and wing feathers (2).
The female and juvenile bar-tailed godwit have a similar grey-brown plumage, with the juvenile showing slightly more buff colouration (4) (6). The female is generally larger than the male, with a noticeably longer bill, and has little red-brown colouration during the breeding season (2). Both the male and female bar-tailed godwit have a distinctive black-and-white barred tail, from which this species gets its common name. However, this barred pattern is hidden when the bird is at rest (6). The colouration on the head of both sexes is broken up by an off-white line above the eyes (4).
Although this species is mostly silent outside of the breeding season, during the breeding season it is often heard making fast, high-pitched calls. The alarm call of the bar-tailed godwit is a piercing ‘krick’, the call during flight a harsh ‘kirrik’ (4), and other calls include a loud ‘ke-ke-ke’ or‘kek-kek’. A ‘k-tek k-tek k-tek’is often given before its northward migration (2).
Three subspecies of the bar-tailed godwit are recognised: Limosa lapponica lapponica, Limosa lapponica menzbieri and Limosa lapponica baueri. The three subspecies differ slightly in their breeding and wintering grounds, as well as in their body size and the extent of the barring of the tail. The eastern subspecies L. l. menzbieri and L. l. lapponica are slightly larger, with short legs and stocky bodies (2).
The bar-tailed godwit can be distinguished from the similar-looking black-tailed godwit (Limosa limosa) by its barred rather than black tail and by a lack of white bars on the wings (3) (4).
- Barge rousse.
- Length: 37 - 41 cm (2)
- Wingspan: 70 - 80 cm (2)
- Male weight: 190 - 400g (2) (3)
- Female weight: 260 - 630g (2) (3)