Hudsonian Godwit (Limosa haemastica)

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A Field Guide to Eastern Birds. by Roger Tory Peterson.

Return to Eastern Shorebirds

Color Photograph: H.R. Spendelow, U.S. Geological Survey

Color Photograph: Steve Culver, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Hudsonian Godwit (Limosa haemastica)

Identification: Length from tip of bill to tip of tail 15 inches.

Summer Plumage: Back and wings brown, mottled with white. Head light gray with a brown crown and a white band over the eye. A dark line runs through the eye. Bill elongate, orange, straight, tipped with black. Neck, breast, and underside rusty-brown, streaked with dark brown. Tail black with a wide, white band near the base. Legs long, dark gray.

Winter Plumage: Similar to the summer plumage, but much grayer, and the neck, breast, and underside are white, not rusty-brown.

Similar Species:  The long straight bill, rusty-brown neck, breast, and underside, and the wide, white band on the tail easily identify the Hudsonian Godwit. The winter plumage birds are also distinctive with the wide white band on the black tail and the long, straight, orange bill.

Breeding Range (see map below): The Hudsonian Godwit is a rare and scattered with species with populations in Alaska, northern British Columbia, and along the western shores of Hudsons Bay.

Overwintering Range:  Southern South America.

Habitat: The Hudsonian Godwit is found primarily on tundra during the breeding season. Migrating individuals are seen on mudflats.

Food: Primarily insects.

Behavior: This rare species migrates in flocks. The voice is a high kerreck.

Reproduction:  The clutch consists of 4 brown-spoted olive-tan eggs. The eggs are laid in a ground depression lined with grass.