Common Name: Black-tailed Godwit

Distribution: Black-tailed Godwits arrive in Australia each year in late August from breeding grounds in the northern hemisphere, some making their way to eastern and southern Australia by September-December.

Ecological Notes: Occupy sheltered bays, estuaries and lagoons with large intertidal mudflats and/or sandflats. It primarily eats invertebrates, but also aquatic plants in winter and on migration. 

Additional Notes: In water, the most common feeding method is to vigorously probe the substrate, up to 36 times per minute, often with the head completely submerged. It has a longer, straighter bill, longer legs and stands taller than the closely related Bar-tailed Godwit.

References: Department of the Environment (2020). Limosa limosa in Species Profile and Threats Database, Department of the Environment, Canberra at Black-tailed Godwit Accessed 14 August 2023. 

NSW Office of Environment and Heritage at Black-tailed Godwit Accessed 13 August 2023.