Black-tailed Godwit
Limosa limosa
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderCharadriiformes (Caradriformes)
- FamilyScolopacidae (Sandpipers and Allies)
- GenusLimosa (Godwits)
- SpeciesLimosa limosa (Black-tailed Godwit)
The black-tailed godwit (Limosa limosa) is a large, long-legged, long-billed shorebird first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758. It is a member of the godwit genus, Limosa. There are four subspecies, all with orange head, neck and chest in breeding plumage and dull grey-brown winter coloration, and distinctive black and white wingbar at all times. Its breeding range stretches from Iceland through Europe and areas of central Asia. Black-tailed godwits spend (the northern hemisphere) winter in areas as diverse as the Indian subcontinent, Australia, New Zealand, western Europe and west Africa. The species breeds in fens, lake edges, damp meadows, moorlands and bogs and uses estuaries, swamps and floods in (the northern hemisphere) winter; it is more likely to be found inland and on freshwater than the similar bar-tailed godwit. Wikipedia →
<5% of wildlife watchers report a Black-tailed Godwit sighting in Ningaloo Marine Park, based on 14 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Ningaloo Marine Park
Bar-tailed Godwit
Limosa lapponica
Grey-tailed Tattler
Tringa brevipes
Common Sandpiper
Actitis hypoleucos
Whimbrel
Numenius phaeopus
Common Greenshank
Tringa nebularia
Ruddy Turnstone
Arenaria interpres
Red-necked Stint
Calidris ruficollis
Sanderling
Calidris alba
Great Knot
Calidris tenuirostris
Far Eastern Curlew
Numenius madagascariensis
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper
Calidris acuminata
Wood Sandpiper
Tringa glareola
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Black-tailed Godwit in Ningaloo Marine Park?
About 3% of wildlife watchers report a Black-tailed Godwit sighting in Ningaloo Marine Park, based on 14 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Black-tailed Godwit in Ningaloo Marine Park?
February has the highest sighting rate for Black-tailed Godwit in Ningaloo Marine Park in our monthly data.