
Large, long-legged shorebird with long, nearly straight bill. Alternate Adult is sandy-brown overall, heavily barred with black on underparts, wings, tail, and back. Neck has fine vertical streaks. Head has blackish eyeline and crown. Basic Adult is clean buffy underneath with diffuse head markings. Bill is long and narrow, pink with a black tip, straight or curving very slightly upward. In flight, note orange patches in wings. Compare Whimbrel, Long-billed Curlew, and other godwits.
Length: 46 (cm) Wingspan: 76 (cm)
Voice:
God-WIT calls, nasal notes in series.
Habitat:
In winter and migration: mudflats, beaches, estuaries, wet fields, coastlines. In breeding season: moist, grassy marshes.
Behavior:
Walks on ground with slow, deliberate steps; alone, in pairs, or small groups. In winter and migration, often found in flocks with other shorebirds, including curlews. On northern breeding grounds, nest is a shallow scrape on the ground.
Feeding:
Probes in mud with long bill or picks prey off ground surface; eats worms, crustaceans, mollusks, grasshoppers, insects, and some seeds.
Field Notes
At Humboldt Bay, California, where 6000-8000 are estimated to winter and they're abundant for most of the year, bands on 4 godwits at the Arcata Marsh were read in 1994 (Colwell 1995 in Harris 2005), revealing that each was banded less than a mile away, near the former site of the Red House that Kenn Kaufman alludes to in "Kingbird Highway," in 1969.
Citation: . Northwestern California Birds. Klamath River: Living Gold Press, 2005. Print.
Expanded Life History
Feed Ecology And Diet | Contribute Content |
Nesting Habits | Contribute Content |
Migration Status | Contribute Content |
Conservation Status | Contribute Content |
Local Sites to Spot | Contribute Content |
Abundance Status | Contribute Content |
Adult Male Description | Contribute Content |
Adult Female Description | Contribute Content |
ITIS Taxonomic Number | Contribute Content |
Sonogram | Contribute Content |
Courtship | Contribute Content |
Reproductive Characteristics | Contribute Content |
Relationship to Humans | Contribute Content |
ID Tips - Size & Shape | Contribute Content |
ID Tips - Color & Pattern | Contribute Content |
ID Tips - Habitat | Contribute Content |
ID Tips - Behavior | Contribute Content |
ID Tips - Wingspan | Contribute Content |
ID Tips - Weight | Contribute Content |
Breeding | Contribute Content |
Cool Facts | Contribute Content |
Local Knowledge | Contribute Content |
Post a Question
Sightings
Date | Submitted By | Count |
---|---|---|
08/02/14 | Dave Irons, OR | 4 |
08/10/13 | Dave Irons, OR | 3 |
07/25/13 | Christopher Hinkle, OR | 1 |
03/12/13 | Dan Mitchell, OR | 500 |
05/12/11 | Jane Van Coney, OH | # |
10/27/12 | Dave Irons, OR | 160 |
10/04/12 | Steve Dimock, OR | 3 |
07/15/12 | Dave Irons, OR | 80 |
07/15/12 | Dave Irons, OR | 90 |
11/22/11 | Jacob Parks, OR | # |
02/05/12 | Dave Irons, OR | 25 |
05/25/11 | Mary Ratcliff, OR | # |
12/26/11 | Joe Blowers, OR | # |
12/11/11 | Dave Irons, OR | 2000 |
12/11/11 | Dave Irons, OR | 150 |
Recent Activity
Activity | Date & Time |
---|---|
David Fix added a note to Marbled Godwit Notes | 8/06/2011 at 7:40PM |