Identification and comparison of

Black-tailed and Bar-tailed Godwits

Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa

Uncommon summer visitor. Large (36-43 cm), uniform grey-brown, paler below, with long straight pink and black bill and long dark-grey legs. Female bill slightly longer. Shows white wingbars and rump and black tail in flight. White underwing also distinctive in flight and when stretching. In breeding plumage has rusty face, neck and breast. Generally silent apart from a soft 'kik' call. Mudflats and sandy beaches.

Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica

Very common summer visitor. Large (38-45 cm), brown-streaked above giving mottled appearance, paler below, with long, slightly upturned, pink and black bill and long dark-grey legs. Female bill longer. Shows whitish rump and lower back and barred tail in flight. In breeding plumage has brick-red face, neck and underparts. Generally silent but groups in flight chatter together with a 'kirruk' call. Mudflats and sandy beaches.  

General: Black-tailed is smaller than Bar-tailed, with gentle appearance and serene expression.

Plumage (non-breeding): Black-tailed has upperparts and neck uniformly matt grey-brown, not streaked as Bar-tailed. The white eyebrow in front of eye is often the most noticeable place of contrast in Black-tailed.

Bill: Black-tailed has shorter and straighter bill than Bar-tailed, with less variation in length between male and female.

Flight: Black-tailed has prominent white wingbars on upperwings, white underwings and white lower rump that contrasts with black tail. Bar-tailed has no white wingbars, barred underwings, whitish rump and lower back and barred tail. Longer legs of Black-tailed extend further beyond tail than Bar-tailed.

Similar species: Asian Dowitcher (Limnodromus semipalmatus) is a rare summer visitor, with one or two occasionally found in godwit flocks. Smaller than either godwit, with long straight blunt-tipped bill.

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