Black-tailed Godwit  |  

The Black-tailed Godwit is a large wader and member of the Tringinae family. The species has a length of 40–44 cm, a wingspan of 63–75 cm and a weight of 200–300 g. The species is described as being large and graceful with a rather small head, long neck, very long straight or slightly curved bill and very long legs. The species is slightly smaller than the Bar-tailed Godwit, Limosa lapponica, with a straighter and slightly blunter bill, longer neck, shallower forehead, slimmer body and longer legs. Females have a slightly larger and longer bill, but a duller breeding plumage as compared to males. They occur singly or in small to large groups, numbering hundreds at favoured roosting sites. They associate with other waders; often at edges of flocks of other species of Godwit and, in New Zealand, sometimes with Black-winged Stilts, Himantopus himantopus (Higgins & Davies 1996). They feed in sea-edge flocks (Rogers 1999b).