Bar-tailed Godwit

1. Long, slightly upturned bill with a pink base and dark tip.

2. Males show rich brick-red underparts in breeding season; females and juveniles are paler and more streaked.

3. Distinctive barred tail and white rump visible in flight, lacking strong wing bars

Bar-tailed Godwits feed by probing deeply into mud or sand for marine worms, bivalves, and small crustaceans. The difference in bill length between males and females allows them to access different prey and reduces competition. These birds breed in the high Arctic tundra of Alaska, Siberia, and Scandinavia, nesting on open ground. Before migration, godwits accumulate large fat reserves-sometimes nearly doubling their weight-to sustain their non-stop flights, which can last for up to 11 days and cover over 13, km. They rely on a small number of critical stopover sites to refuel, making them vulnerable to habitat loss along their migratory routes.

Bar-tailed Godwits are found along the coasts of Australia, New Zealand, and much of Eurasia during the non-breeding season. They favour large intertidal mudflats, estuaries, and sheltered bays, where they can be seen feeding in groups, especially at low tide. In Australia, they are most abundant from September to April, with some individuals overwintering. Their migration routes are highly predictable, and many birds return to the same feeding sites each year.