Black-tailed Godwit

The black-tailed godwit is a large wader about 42cm long, with a long, straight bill of 7.5–12cm, a long neck and long dark legs. In breeding plumage the head, neck and breast are orange, brighter and more extensive in the male; in winter it is uniformly grey-brown. In flight at any season it shows bold black-and-white wings, a white rump and a black tail. It is told from the bar-tailed godwit by its longer, straighter bill, longer legs and taller stance. The bill base is yellowish or orange-pink in summer and pink in winter (Wikipedia, general species account).

It breeds in fens, lake edges, damp meadows, moorland and bogs from Iceland to the far east of Russia, and winters on estuaries, swamps and floods across a vast area. It is more often found inland and on fresh water than the bar-tailed godwit. Four subspecies are recognised. In India it is a winter migrant with a large range. SoIB 2023 estimates a long-term decline of about 71% and a current fall of about 6% a year, and rates it a High conservation priority (Wikipedia, general species account; SoIB 2023).