Hudsonian Godwit Identification

The Four Keys to ID

• Size & Shape

  A large, stately shorebird with long legs, a long neck, and a very long, slightly upturned bill.

  Relative Size

  Larger than a Willet, smaller than a Marbled Godwit.

  between robin and crow

  Measurements

  • Both Sexes
• Color Pattern

  Breeding adults are spangled in black, brown, and gold above, with rich chestnut and dark barring below. Female are less richly colored than males. Nonbreeding adults are gray-brown above and paler brownish below. Juveniles are similar to nonbreeding adults, but more scaly-looking above because of pale feather edges. In all plumages, the bill has a pale pinkish or orange base with a dark tip. The tail is white with a broad black band at the tip. The “armpit” (axillary feathers) is blackish; the upperwing shows a narrow white wing stripe.

• Behavior

  Wades in shallow water and probes for invertebrates in soft soil or mud, in both tidal areas and freshwater habitats. Often rests and forages in flocks of mixed shorebird species, where it is one of the largest species.

• Habitat

  Nests in freshwater tundra marshes and bogs; winters in coastal lagoons, marshes and ocean coasts. Migrants appear in many types of wetlands, often in the interior, away from sea coasts.